Kidnapped girl reunited with stepfather

The six-year-old girl who was kidnapped in the Philippines has had an emotional reunion with her British stepfather.

Eiman April Grant was rescued by Filipino soldiers and police officers who stormed the Tuburan village, on the south side of the island of Basilan, on Friday.

She flew into Scotland yesterday with her mother Mina to be reunited with her stepfather Douglas, 50, and 22-month-old half-sister Khadija, according to the Scottish Daily Mail.

Eiman said: "I'm really happy to be here. It's good to be with Mummy and Daddy again. I missed them both so much."

Mr Grant, who lives in Inverness said: "I can't believe we have her back. After three weeks of thinking the worst, this is like a dream come true. So many times I thought that she would be harmed or even killed and that we might never see her again. "

Eiman's terrifying ordeal began early last month when she was abducted by gunmen who demanded money from her mother.

It ended on Friday when troops and police saved her and her kidnappers fled.

The girl was then flown by helicopter to a military camp in the nearby city of Zamboanga where she was reunited with her mother. Eiman and her mother were later flown on a military transport plane to Manila, where they met British Ambassador Allan Collins at an air force base.

They flew from Manila to Glasgow yesterday to be reunited with Mr Grant, a hospitality manager. Mr Grant had settled in the Philippines with Mina, 43, Khadija, and Eiman, but returned to Britain last August to care for his elderly parents.

His family were waiting to join him in the UK when Eiman was snatched from his wife's home on Basilan, about 550 miles south of Manila. Mr Grant went to the Philippines offering to trade places with his stepdaughter but left after 10 days when he was advised his safety was at risk.