Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron makes a statement to the media
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron makes a statement to the media following the killing of Scottish aid worker David Haines, at Number 10 Downing Street in London September 14, 2014. Cameron chaired a meeting of the government's emergency response committee on Sunday under growing pressure to sanction air strikes after an Islamic State video showed the beheading of a British hostage. Reuters/Stringer
Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron makes a statement to the media following the killing of Scottish aid worker David Haines, at Number 10 Downing Street in London September 14, 2014. Cameron chaired a meeting of the government's emergency response committee on Sunday under growing pressure to sanction air strikes after an Islamic State video showed the beheading of a British hostage. REUTERS/John Stillwell/pool (BRITAIN - Tags: CRIME LAW POLITICS CONFLICT)

After beheading two American and two British hostages the past few weeks, the Islamic State (IS) surprised the world over the weekend by releasing on Thursday British headteacher David Richard Bolam after it abducted him in May 2014 while shopping in Libya.

On Friday, the militant organisation beheaded its fourth hostage, British taxi driver Alan Henning, who volunteered to drive trucks that deliver relief goods to Syrians.

Read: Goriest Beheading Video As IS Shows Brit Hostage Alan Henning's Head Being Sawed Off

Unlike the plea of Henning's wife for his release, which fell on deaf ears, Bolam's personal plea to British Prime Minister David Cameron, posted online, was successful. He said, quoted by The Telegraph, "I am a British teacher, my health is good at the moment, I have been here a very long time ... I ask the British government and Prime Minister David Cameron ... please allow me to go back to my family. I ask my family and friends, and anyone else who hears this, please can you do something to let the government understand I need to go home soon. Please, please do something to help me."

While in the video he talked of a recent prisoner swap between the US and the Taliban, the Telegraph reports that his released was likely done through payment of a ransom via unofficial channels because of an official policy of the British government not to deal with kidnappers or pay ransom.

But the British Foreign Office confirmed through a statement Bolam's release, saying, "We are glad that David Bolam is safe and well after his ordeal, and that he has been reunited with his family."

It added, "We have been supporting his family since he was taken. We do not comment on the detail of hostage cases. The family has asked for privacy at this time."

The 53-year-old former principal of the International School Benghazi, now closed, opted to stay in Libya despite the growing violence, until he was kidnapped while shopping in May. He was wearing a white T-shirt and sporting a white beard and flew back to the UK on the day of his release.

YouTube/Julia Shad