An American teacher held in Libya for 6 weeks is now back home in the United States

Fernando Espinoza, 29, an American teacher detained in Libya for more than six weeks has returned to the United States after the Libyan foreign minister personally intervened to expedite his release.

Espinoza’s arrival on US soil ended weeks of anguish for his mother, who said she was given very little information about where and why her son, a former US Navy submariner, was being held — or when he would be freed. Her work to secure his release dovetailed with mounting political tensions as Libya approached what was supposed to be its first presidential election in a decade.