JULIE PACE, AP White House Correspondent

WASHINGTON (AP) — A senior Obama administration official says Cuba has released American Alan Gross, who has been imprisoned for five years.

The official says Gross has departed Cuba on a US government plane bound for the United States. He was released on humanitarian grounds by the Cuban government at the request of the United States, the official said.

The official insisted on anonymity because the official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly by name.