James Foley, a New Hampshire native and Boston-based journalist held captive by the Libyan government for more than a month, was among four journalists released today and taken to a hotel in Tripoli.

Broadcast reports state Foley, a Rochester native working for GlobalPost, along with Clare Morgana Gillis, a freelance journalist for The Atlantic and USA Today, Spanish photographer Manu Brabo, and British journalist Nigel Chandler are all currently at the Rixos Hotel, a housing area for foreign journalists assigned to Tripoli, one day after the Libyan government announced it was giving them a one-year suspended sentence on charges of illegally entering the country.

Broadcast news organizations are reporting that Libyan government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim told the four journalists they were welcome to stay in Libya, but stated they would be taken to the Tunisian border to leave the country if they so desired.

Foley was held for more than six weeks by the Libyan government.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) expressed relief that Foley was freed.

”I am tremendously relieved and overjoyed to hear that James Foley has been released from his imprisonment in Libya and can return home to reunite with his family and friends,” Shaheen said in a prepared statement. “Since James went missing in April, there has been an outpouring of support for him throughout the world. As a mother of three myself, I can only imagine the anxiety and pain his loved ones have endured. I am glad that James’ family, friends, colleagues, and classmates, all have something to celebrate today and we eagerly await word that he is on his way home.”