Stephen McGown makes first public appearance
Stephen McGown, who has been freed after being held captive for almost six years, has made his first public appearance.
The former al-Qaeda captive had been held hostage in Mali.
He was kidnapped at a hostel in Timbuktu in November 2011 and freed from his captors at the end of July
At a press briefing, McGown recalled what he described as "the good and the bad times" of his capture.
He also spoke about his health.
McGown had been abducted together with recently released Swedish national Johan Gustaffsson who had been released in June.
During the press briefing, McGown confirmed he had converted to Islam.
"Before the dessert, I was a Christian. They did not force me into Islam. I entered on my own accord."
When asked about whether he would remain Muslim, he responded: "I learned everything Arabic, so I probably have big gaps in my knowledge. I see many good things in Islam, but I also see many things which don't make sense to me. I will continue reading up and finding out more about it."
He told of how things changed after he converted to Islam.