Poul Hagen Thisted, who was rescued from Somali pirates by U.S. Seals last week is on his way home to Denmark, the Danish Refugee Council has announced.

“My thanks go out for the prayers and support I have received, but right now my top priority is to be with my family,” Thisted says in declining to be interviewed.

“I am grateful for your interest, but it is important for me to maintain my focus on returning to my family and living a normal life,” says Thisted.

Thisted and U.S. national Jessica Buchanan were both employed in Somalia by the refugee council’s Danish Demining Group when they were taken hostage in Galkayo. Their head of security is believed to have been a co-conspirator in their abduction and has now been arrested.

It was on Wednesday last week that the U.S. Navy Seal Team Six unit descended on a pirate stronghold in Somalia, killing nine pirates, capturing several others and rescuing Thisted and Buchanan unscathed.

Since their rescue, the two have been recuperating at the Sigonella base in Sicily.

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