British newsman is rescued from Homs

Wounded British journalist Paul Conroy was "safe and sound" in Lebanon today after being smuggled out of the besieged Syrian city of Homs.

His father Les announced the news after two previous failed attempts to rescue the Sunday Times photo-grapher, who was injured in the same bombardment that killed his war correspondent colleague Marie Colvin. A second reporter, Edith Bouvier of French newspaper Le Figaro, was also freed in the rescue operation.

Conroy's wife Kate said she was "overjoyed" at the news but had not yet spoken to him. It was not clear whether the bodies of Colvin or Remi Ochlik, a French photographer killed alongside her, were recovered.

Conroy, 47, had been trapped in Homs since last Wednesday after the father-of-three was injured when Syrian troops launched a rocket attack on a makeshift media centre in the district of Baba Amr, which has been under continuous attack for 24 days.

In a video subsequently posted on YouTube he told how he was "OK" but had sustained "large wounds" to his leg and appealed for help in escaping Syria. At one point in the video the sound of an artillery attack could be heard in the background.

An initial attempt to free him last night had failed after Syrian Red Crescent ambulances left Homs without him.

It came after an operation on Friday when Conroy and Bouvier refused to be evacuated after becoming concerned the Red Crescent officials sent to recover them could not be trusted.

Many opponents of President Bashar Assad believe the Syrian Red Crescent is under the influence of the regime, and the two reporters apparently feared arrest for having entered the country illegally.

A Sunday Times spokesman said Conroy was "safe and in Lebanon. He is in good shape and good spirits." This afternoon it was being reported that volunteers were killed in the rescue effort. According to the campaigning Avaaz network, it had been working with 35 Syrian activists in Homs who volunteered to help the reporters.

Executive director Ricken Patel said: "Paul Conroy's rescue today is a huge relief but this must be tempered with the news that three remain unaccounted for, and with our respects for the courageous activists who died during the evacuation attempts."