Kidnapped Sahil Saeed home for 'a big kiss and cuddles'

Sahil Saeed was on holiday with his father, Raja Naqqash Saeed, and other relatives in Jhelum in the Punjab region when he was snatched by gunmen on 4 March.

His kidnapping prompted an international police operation and the arrest of five people.

Last night Sahil and his father flew into Manchester Airport from Islamabad and were driven to the family home in Oldham, where the boy's mother, Akila Naqqash, 31, promised him "a big kiss and cuddles".

Covered in a blanket, Sahil was carried in through the back door of the house by his father after getting out of a black Range Rover.

Earlier yesterday, Mr Saeed said he was "completely overjoyed" to be reunited with his son.

Mr Saeed, 28, threw his arms around his son on the lawn outside the home of the British High Commissioner in Islamabad, before paying tribute to the authorities who helped secure the child's safe release.

Their homecoming brings to an end the family's fortnight-long ordeal after Sahil was seized by masked men armed with guns and hand grenades from his grandmother's home. He was released unharmed on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said people were "very, very happy" at Sahil's release, which could have been a "potentially tragic story."

The investigation into the abduction saw police forces from four nations join forces to find those responsible. It remains unclear why Sahil was targeted, but a Pakistani government official has said some of the kidnappers were "perhaps known to the family."

Wajid Shamsul Hasan, the Pakistani High Commissioner in London, said: "This is what the authorities and investigators in Pakistan believe. The people that have been arrested in Pakistan, they must have known the family well.

"They have had some kind of grudge against them, which is why they kidnapped the child and tried to blackmail the father."

Three people – two Pakistani men and a Romanian woman – were arrested at a property in Constantini, near Tarragona in north-east Spain, on Tuesday, and appeared in court yesterday.

One man and the woman had allegedly driven to Paris to collect the ransom from Mr Saeed, who was ordered to meet them there after they made a telephone calls demanding payment.

The couple appeared yesterday with the third man before an investigating judge in Tarragona.

The judge will decide whether they should be held on remand, released on bail, or freed. They are not yet charged with any offence. In Spain, formal charges are usually only laid shortly before a trial.

Footage released of the emotional reunion, which included Sahil's grandmother, Tasneem Bashir, and his two-year-old cousin Saher, showed the youngster kicking a football around.

At one point, Sahil, wearing a polo shirt and jeans, stopped to put his foot on the ball and his hands on his hips. His father described it as his "Beckham pose."

He went on to relay a message via television to his mother back home. Prompted by his father, the five-year-old said: "Mummy, I miss you. Mummy, I love you."

Mrs Naqqash, who has two other children – Anisha, four, and Hafsah, 21 months – spoke to her son by telephone after his release in Pakistan and promised him a party when he arrived back home in Oldham.

Sahil's grandmother added: "I am thankful to God that he has been recovered. We are so happy."

In his earlier statement, Mr Saeed said: "I am completely overjoyed that I have been reunited with my son after such a long ordeal.

"Sahil is doing well, is in good spirits, and can't wait to return to the UK to see his mum, his family, and join his friends back at school.

"I would like to pay tribute to the tireless efforts of the Pakistani and UK authorities that resulted in the safe return of Sahil to us.

"I would also like to thank everyone for their messages of support that my family and I have received over the course of the last two weeks."

He also asked that the media shows "restraint" and "respects our family's privacy as we spend some quality time with Sahil".

Sahil was looked after by British officials while his father travelled to Pakistan from the family home. Mr Brown said: "This is a co-ordinated effort to help a young boy, only five and separated from his family and now reunited with his father.

"People, of course, are very, very happy that this potentially tragic story is ending in Sahil coming back to our country today."

He added: "We will be offering our good wishes to the family."

Adam Thomson, the British High Commissioner, said: "I am thrilled that Sahil has now been reunited with his father.

"This brings to an end a long period of terrible anxiety and uncertainty.

"I wish them all the best as they rejoin the rest of their family back in the UK."

Mr Thomson added that it would not be appropriate to discuss exactly how Sahil had been freed, explaining: "There remains an active police investigation and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment on ongoing operational issues."

Details of Sahil's time in captivity have yet to emerge, but reports have suggested the youngster said a woman looked after him in a village, where he enjoyed a horse-riding trip and was given a bicycle and toy gun to play with.

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