Johan Gustafsson was kidnapped by Al-Qaeda forces in Mali in 2011. Gustafsson, 42, was at a restaurant in Timbuktu while on vacation when he was abducted along with South African Stephen McGown and Dutch national Sjaak Rijke. A fourth man, a German, was killed after trying to resist the kidnappers.

Gustafsson's last known contact with the outside world came during a video statement released in 2015 confirming the other three men were alive and well.

Many agencies worked together to secure their freedom, and Rijke was released in April; McGown's status is not known. Gustafsson landed at Arlanda airport in Stockholm where he was reunited with his family on June 26.