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Freed German aid staff return home

Georg Taubmann was one of four Germans held by the Taliban for three months

BERLIN, Germany -- Four German aid workers jailed by the Taliban for three months before being freed have arrived home.

The workers -- who had been held along with two Americans and two Australians in Afghanistan on charges of preaching Christianity -- arrived at Frankfurt Airport on Sunday afternoon.

A German Foreign Ministry spokeswoman confirmed that they arrived and were met by a ministry representative.

Georg Taubmann, Margrit Stebnar, Kati Jelinek and Silke Duerrkopf all work for Shelter Now International.

MORE STORIES Taubmann: 'We were really scared'    VIDEO Eight Western aid workers held captive by the Taliban are freed. CNN's Jeff Levine reports (November 15) Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

They were whisked to safety in Pakistan by U.S. helicopters on Thursday after Afghan fighters freed them from Taliban captivity.

Taubmann described the moment they were freed.

"The Massood people came, and others from the alliance, and broke into the prison and just opened the doors," he said.

"We were really scared, and then the alliance people came in ... and we were free and we got out of prison and we walked through the city and the people came out of their houses and hugged us and greeted us, and they were all clapping."

They had been accused by the Taliban of preaching Christianity, a serious offence under the Taliban.

As well as the four Germans, also held by the Taliban were two Americans and two Australians.

In a statement following the releases, Shelter Now said the workers "will have the possibility over the next two weeks to recover in a quiet place."

There has been no word on the fate of 16 Afghan Muslims who worked for the aid agency and were arrested at the same time as the Westerners.