China frees jailed pastor Ezra Jin following Trump's request

A pastor of a prominent underground church who was detained in China in October has been released, less than two months after US President Donald Trump brought up his case when meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing.

Pastor Ezra Jin arrived in Los Angeles Saturday to reunite with his family, according to a social media post by Frances Hui from the Committee for Freedom in Hong Kong Foundation.

A family statement says Jin's release happened very quickly. The family thanks Trump and says they know the release could not have happened without Xi's direct intervention.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Jin and 17 other leaders of the underground Zion Church were detained in October in one of China's largest crackdowns on a single church in decades, raising worries over the government's stance on religious freedom.