Journalist Michael Scott Moore freed by Somali pirates

REDONDO BEACH, Calif. -- A German-American journalist who grew up in Southern California has been freed after being held hostage by Somali pirates for almost three years.

Michael Scott Moore, 45, was abducted in January 2012 while researching a book about piracy. Negotiators paid a $1.6 million ransom for the release of a German-American journalist who was kidnapped in Somalia and held for two years and eight months, a commander of pirates who held him said Wednesday.

The pirate commander said the journalist had been held in several different locations to avoid being found. During the time he was held hostage, Moore's kidnappers released photos of him periodically.

Moore's location Wednesday morning was unclear, but immediately after his release on Tuesday, he was taken to the Somali capital for medical and psychological evaluation and then to Nairobi in Kenya.

Moore grew up in Redondo Beach and attended high school in neighboring Manhattan Beach. He once worked for the German weekly Der Spiegel. At the time of his kidnapping, Moore was researching a book on piracy thanks to a grant from the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.

"We're grateful to all the people who have worked so long to bring about Michael's release and thrilled that he and his family can be reunited at last," John Sawyer, executive director of Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, told Der Spiegel.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.