Five British prisoners were released from the detention of the Taliban in Afghanistan after the British government apologized in its name.
Peter Jouvenal, a former news cameraman who became a businessman, was one of the released people, according to friends and was on a plane on Monday afternoon.
The other names were not immediately confirmed, but another Brit was reported in December in Taliban custody. It is assumed that the five have been arrested in various incidents in August since the Taliban took over the power.
In a statement by the Federal Foreign Office, it says: "In the name of the families of the British nationals, we apologize for any violation of Afghan culture, customs or laws and offer their assurance future good behavior."
"The British government regrets this episode."
hours before the announcement, the government also made an explanation that it would not allow it to be used by the British soil by someone who is causing violence or "striving to achieve political change through violence" in Afghanistan. The explanation was widely praised by Taliban representatives and led to speculation that it was part of a deal to release prisoners.
Friends of Mr. Jouvenal had campaigned for the government to do more to achieve his release after he was arrested in December.
David Loyn, a former BBC correspondent, said: "Peter Jouvenal was released from captivity in Afghanistan after more than six months. At that time, his family asked for privacy and the Federal Foreign Office, which worked tirelessly to ensure the release, expressed his gratitude."
Mr. Jouvenal had started his career with the reporting on the Soviet invasion in Afghanistan and continued to report on the country's unrest in the following decades. Later he became businessman and headed the Hotel and Restaurant Gandamack Lodge in Kabul, which was a popular pub for journalists, helpers and contractors.
JON Simpson, foreign correspondent and editor of the BBC, said at the beginning of this year that Mr. Jouvenal was arrested and the espionage was accused when he took photos when he was looking for a property for a business project.
"I was locked up with him in Afghanistan in the past, if not under these conditions, and I know how resilient and funny he is," he said in February.
"These British citizens played no role in the work of the British government in Afghanistan and traveled to the Urshift of the British government to Afghanistan. That was a mistake," says the government declaration.