Hassoun slips quietly into Utah

The Utah Marine of Lebanese origin who has garnered so much attention the past two months made a swift and private arrival in Utah Saturday afternoon.

Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun arrived, and quickly departed, Salt Lake International Airport after 4 p.m. with family members and headed to the West Jordan home of his older brother, Mohammed Hassoun, without saying anything to the media.

Family members said Hassoun did not plan to speak to reporters Saturday but did say Hassoun would participate in a press conference this afternoon.

Despite the tight grip of privacy, the family showed signs that they were joyful for Hasoun's safe return. One family member was seen bringing a cake into the house.

It does seem the hopes, thoughts and prayers of Utah Muslims and others in the community have been answered with the safe delivery of their brother, friend and neighbor.

News that Hassoun was arriving home Saturday from Camp Lejeune, N.C., was met with surprise, as well as smiles and well-wishes, among fellow Utah Muslims, as many had not heard of his homecoming.

"I'm very happy for his family," Anwar Arafat of the University of Utah Muslim Students Association said Saturday during the Salt Lake American Muslim Cultural Festival in downtown Salt Lake City. "It would be really good for his family to see him."

Hassoun has been undergoing a "repatriation process," since arriving at Camp Lejeune on June 20, according to military officials.

The Marine, once feared beheaded by militants in Iraq, is now said to have been placed on 30-day convalescent leave to spend time with his family. Officials said the leave was part of Hassoun's repatriation process. Military brass have said Hassoun will not be questioned about his apparent kidnapping until his repatriation is finished.

Speculation still surrounds the circumstances of Hassoun's safe return. After failing to report for duty on June 20 at a Marine camp in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, on June 27 Hassoun appeared in a video released to the Al Jazeera television network, blindfolded with a sword held above his head. His apparent captors threatened to kill Hassoun if prisoners in Iraq were not set loose.

In the following weeks, reports of Hassoun's beheading surfaced on the Internet but with no video confirmation. During that time, the Marines changed Hassoun's status from "deserted" to "captured."