Americans Kidnapped by Pirates Off Nigeria are Freed

The United States on Tuesday announced the release of two Americans kidnapped by pirates off southern Nigeria in October.

"We welcome the release of the two U.S. citizens who were kidnapped from the Retriever," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

"For privacy reasons, we will not provide any additional information on the two individuals or the circumstances of their release," she added.

Pirates stormed an oil supply vessel off southern Nigeria and kidnapped two American crew members, Nigeria's navy and U.S. defense officials said last month.

In the latest unrest in a region described as a piracy hotspot, a U.S.-flagged C-Retriever owned by American oil servicing company Edison Chouest Offshore was attacked off the city of Brass, Nigeria's navy spokesman Kabir Aliyu told Agence France Presse at the time.

The ship's chief engineer and captain, both American citizens, were kidnapped in the attack, said U.S. defense officials who requested anonymity, and AKE, a private security firm which closely tracks the region.