Freed Italian aid worker Silvia Romano returns home on special flight

Silvia Romano, an Italian aid worker kidnapped 18 months ago in Kenya, landed in Rome on Sunday a day after being freed.

Gunmen seized Romano, who was working for an Italian charity called Africa Milele, in November 2018.

She was found in Somalia and released thanks to efforts by the external intelligence agency, Italy’s Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio said.

Romano touched down at Rome’s Ciampino airport aboard a special flight at about 2 p.m. (1200 GMT).

#SilviaRomanoLibera pic.twitter.com/A2RD9yiWdy

— Giuseppe Conte (@GiuseppeConteIT) May 10, 2020

Escorted by masked men from the intelligence service, she temporarily removed her protective mask to wave as she descended the steps from the jet before hugging relatives waiting for her at the airport.

She was greeted by Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Di Maio.

In her home neighborhood in Milan, church bells saluted her arrival, with many people on their balconies, SKY TG24 showed.

Romano is expected to meet prosecutors in Rome later on Sunday.

“I was strong, and did not lose hope,” Romano was quoted by Italian newspapers her release.

Prime Minister Conte said that the task force working to free Romano had been in the final stages “for the last few months”, after getting proof that she was still alive.

He added that details were not revealed so as to not compromise the operation.

“We are so glad to welcome Silvia back in such a delicate moment for the country. The State is always there, and will always be there,” Conte said.

He thanked efforts from the intelligence services, the judiciary and the defense and foreign ministries, all involved in the release the young woman.

Italian newspapers reported that Italy’s intelligence services had worked with their Somali and Turkish counterparts to free Romano.

“I am literally bursting with joy at this moment. But please let me breathe. I need to get over the shock,” Silvia’s father Enzo was quoted as saying by several Italian newspapers on Sunday.