BOSTON – The ****** of an American freed from seven months of detention in North Korea eagerly awaited his return Friday as he jetted home with former President Jimmy Carter, who had persuaded leaders of the reclusive country to set him free.
Carter flew to the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, this week on a private mission to secure a pardon for 31-year-old Aijalon Gomes, who was detained in January after crossing into the country from China.
"I'm just joyful and grateful that my *** is home, and thank president Jimmy Carter for making sure that he was home safely," said Jacqueline McCarthy, his ******, shortly before his arrival at Boston's Logan International Airport. "I thank God, I thank God, for everything everyone has done for us."
****** members left her Boston home around noon, praying and praising God before leaving for the airport.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Il granted Carter's request to "leniently forgive" Gomes, the official Korean Central News Agency reported.
There was no indication that Kim — who was making a surprise trip to China this week — met with Carter as widely anticipated.
In Washington, the State Department welcomed the news of Gomes' release. We "are relieved that he will soon be safely reunited with his ******," spokesman P.J. Crowley said.
Gomes was the fourth American in a year arrested for trespassing in North Korea, a communist nation that fought against the U.S. during the 1950-53 Korean War and does not have diplomatic relations with Washington.
Journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee were arrested last March and released only after former President Bill Clinton made a similar trip to Pyongyang to plead for their freedom.
