ABOARD A U.S. MILITARY AIRCRAFT (Reuters) - The body of Luke Somers, an American held by an al Qaeda unit in Yemen who was killed on Saturday when U.S. special forces tried to rescue him, was flown to the United States on Wednesday, a U.S. defence official said.
The body of the photojournalist landed shortly after noon EST (1700 GMT) aboard a C-17 U.S. military aircraft in Dover, Delaware, and there was a "dignified transfer" with Somers' family present, the official said. No media representatives were present.
U.S. officials said Somers, 33, and another captive, South African Pierre Korkie, 56, were shot and killed by their kidnappers shortly after the raid began in the arid Wadi Abadan district of the Yemeni province of Shabwa.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart; Writing by Mohammad Zargham; Editing by Peter Cooney)