'Im free,' Gross says upon his return

WASHINGTON – Alan Gross was just about at the end of the line.

Imprisoned in a Cuban military hospital for five years with arthritis and vision problems, he reportedly had lost 100 pounds, grown despondent and announced that he wanted no more visitors.

In desperation, he went on a hunger strike in April.

Gross, 65, who lived in Potomac, Md., was arrested in Cuba five years ago this month while working as an international aid contractor to improve Internet service and set up an intranet for Cuban Jewish communities. Cuba accused him of trying to destabilize its government by bringing sophisticated technical equipment into the country, and sentenced him to a 15-year jail term.

On Wednesday, he was released. He arrived in the United States, amid jubilation from relatives, friends and Jewish groups, as the government announced that it was restoring full diplomatic relations with Cuba for the first time in decades.

At an emotional news conference at his lawyers' Washington office, Gross sighed and said, "This is great."

"Today is the first day of Hanukkah, and so far it's the best Hanukkah that I'll be celebrating for a long time," he said. "What a blessing it is to be a citizen of this country."

Gross seemed upbeat as he spoke to reporters for about 10 minutes.

Jill Zuckman, the family's spokeswoman, said that Gross was notified of his release on Tuesday morning in a phone call with his lawyer, Scott Gilbert. When Gross heard the news, there was a long pause on the line, then Gross said to Gilbert: "I'll believe it when I see it."

Gross' wife boarded a U.S. plane at Joint Base Andrews, outside Washington, on Wednesday morning bound for Havana, along with Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.

The group spent about 30 minutes on the ground in Cuba meeting with Gross before they boarded the plane back for the United States.

A bowl of popcorn and a corned beef sandwich on rye with mustard awaited Gross when he stepped onto the aircraft — two delicacies Gross said he'd missed during his five years in captivity. Gross also ate latkes with apple sauce and sour cream, a traditional dish to celebrate Hanukkah.

Gross grew up in Baltimore, helping in his father's window-cleaning business. He earned a master's degree in social work and got involved in oversees humanitarian projects in the Middle East and Africa.

Cuba was his latest project.

In the years since Gross' imprisonment, his family had often talked about his desire to be reunited with his mother, Evelyn Gross, who had lung cancer. But Evelyn Gross died in June at 92.

After his release, Gross spoke to his two daughters on the phone and told them both, "I'm free." He also talked to Obama and thanked him for negotiating his release.

Meanwhile, family members and Jewish groups that had lobbied for his release rejoiced. "We're like screaming and jumping up and down," Gross' sister, Bonnie Rubinstein, told the Associated Press from her home in Texas.