US Executive Held Captive in China Released

Kept hostage for six days by workers

A U.S. executive held captive in his factory was freed on Thursday after a six-day standoff with employees.

The co-owner of Florida-based Specialty Medical Supplies, who had been held hostage by workers since Friday in the executive quarters of his factory on the outskirts of Beijing, reached a settlement with employees who had been demanding severance pay, a spokeswoman for the labor union and a general manager of the factory said at a press briefing on the compound Thursday. They declined to disclose details of the settlement.