The Japanese government announced that Japanese journalist Jumpei Yasuda has been released after being held by the Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, the umbrella organization where Al Nusra is mostly in control.

Japanese Government Spokesperson Yoshihide Suga said Yasuda, who had been at the hands of gangs in Syria for 3 years, is probably in a migrants bureau in Hatay. Suga added that they have reason to believe the person in question is Jumpei Yasuda as per the information provided by the Turkish officials.

It had been previously known that Al Nusra gangs, openly and indirectly supported by Turkish intelligence, had asked for ransom for a Japanese journalist they held captive. The Japanese media had written that Al Nusra had asked 10 million dollars in ransom in meetings mediated by Qatar, but the Japanese government hadn’t accepted the blackmail.

Meanwhile the journalist held by Al Nusra, the gang organization the Turkish state is most invested in in Syria, was reportedly brought to Turkey from Syria “in coordination with Turkish security and intelligence units”. The Hatay Governorate issued a statement and said they did not know the identity of the person brought in, and argued that they are waiting for confirmation from Japanese authorities for the identification of the person.

The Japanese government spokesperson said they are waiting for confirmation from Turkish authorities. The journalist is well known, and has been held for years right under Turkey’s nose by AKP-backed gangs, so it shouldn’t be difficult to confirm his identity.