From the Archives, 1981: The Iran hostage crisis ends
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By Creighton Burns
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FREEDOM FLIGHT
America s 52 diplomatic hostages, imprisoned in Iran for 443 days, should be free today.
David Roeder waves as he arrives at a US Air Force base in West Germany from Algeria in a January 21, 1981 photo. He was among 52 Americans held hostage in Iran for 444 days after their capture at the US embassy in Tehran.
Credit:AP
A US State Department spokesman said they could leave Teheran before 4 am (Melbourne time). Algerian doctors in Teheran have pronounced all the hostages fit to travel.