Jimmy Carter Secures Release of U.S. Prisoner in North Korea

Aijalon Gomes, 31, hugged Carter just before they boarded a plane at Pyongyang's airport, footage aired by broadcaster APTN in North Korea showed.

Carter had flown to the North Korean capital three days earlier on a rare private mission to negotiate Gomes' release.

"We welcome the release of Aijalon Mahli Gomes and are relieved that he will soon be safely reunited with his family," State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said in a statement.

Crowley expressed the U.S. government's appreciation for Carter's "humanitarian effort" and welcomed North Korea's "decision to grant Mr. Gomes special amnesty and allow him to return to the United States."

The former president had "courteously requested" a special pardon for Gomes, which leader Kim Jong Il granted, North Korean state media said. Gomes had been sentenced in April to eight years of hard labor and a hefty fine for trespassing and committing a "hostile act."

They were due to arrive in Boston on Friday to be reunited with Gomes' mother and other family members, Carter spokeswoman Deanna Congileo said in Atlanta.