The State Department announced the release of Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung. A U.S. government official told NBC News the three were exchanged for two Chinese detainees.

Three Americans who had been detained in China for years have been released in a prisoner swap between Washington and Beijing. “We are pleased to announce the release of Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung from detention in the People’s Republic of China,

Americans Mark Swidan, Kai Li and John Leung are en route back to the United States from imprisonment in China, the White House said.