Kidnapped reporter freed in Iraq

An Irish reporter kidnapped in Baghdad on Wednesday has been freed unharmed, the Guardian newspaper has said.

Rory Carroll, 33, was "safe and well" and was in the Iraqi capital's Green Zone, the Guardian's foreign desk said.

It said Mr Carroll was in good spirits and had spoken to his family and told the paper his captors had treated him well. Their identity is unclear.

Mr Carroll's father Joe said: "He sounded in terrific form, and he told me that he had a beer in his hand."

"And he assured me that he had all his limbs, and that he was, you know, really well. And he sounded great," he said

Mr Carroll said his son's captors had come to "his cell" on Thursday and told him he could go.

The Dublin-born journalist was then driven off in the boot of a car.

The Guardian said Mr Carroll had been in Baghdad with two drivers and an interpreter to interview a victim of Saddam Hussein's regime when he was kidnapped.

As he left the house where the interview had taken place, he was confronted by gunmen and he and one of the drivers were bundled into a car. The driver was released about 20 minutes later.

It is unclear whether three men arrested at the Baghdad house where Mr Carroll was snatched were involved in his release.