WASHINGTON, May 21, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - A US military veteran detained in Venezuela since last year was freed and returned to the United States on Tuesday, a senior White House official said.

"Joe St. Clair is back in America," special presidential envoy Richard Grenell posted on X, adding photos of himself and the freed veteran.

"I met Venezuelan officials in a neutral country today to negotiate an America First strategy. This is only possible because Donald Trump puts Americans first," Grenell added, echoing Trump's slogan.

A US Air Force veteran, St. Clair "had been wrongfully detained in Venezuela since November 2024," according to his family, which also said he has been safely released.

"This news came suddenly, and we are still processing it -- but we are overwhelmed with joy and gratitude," the former detainee's parents, Scott and Patti St. Clair, said in a statement.

The family expressed gratitude to US President Donald Trump, and to Grenell.

They also thanked advocacy organizations for their help in the case, and said they remained in "solidarity with the families of those who are still being held."

The statement did not provide details on the conditions under which St. Clair had been detained.

The release comes nearly four months after Caracas freed six Americans detained in the country, in what was presented as a diplomatic breakthrough of sorts with a government that Washington views as hostile.

At the time Grenell, who serves in a broad role as envoy for special missions, flew to Caracas and met with President Nicolas Maduro, who had called for a "new beginning" in ties with Washington.

Maduro is accused by Washington of stealing Venezuela's 2024 presidential election.

Last week a two-year-old Venezuelan girl, whose parents were deported from the United States without her, was flown home to Caracas, earning Trump rare praise from Venezuela's government.

This week, the US Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to end the temporary protected status that has legally shielded some 350,000 Venezuelans from potential deportation, while an appeal proceeds in a lower court.