BOGOTA, Colombia -- (AFP) -- Leftist rebels here set free the representative in Colombia of the Organization for the Liberation of Palestine (PLO) after a three-month abduction, government sources said.

Rebels from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) set PLO representative Jaime Salem free on Friday.

Salem, a merchant by trade, was kidnapped in Bogota on April 25 and taken to the rebel stronghold in the department of Meta, in central Colombia.

In statements on television, Salem, 58, said he was shaken by the level of violence in Colombia. An abduction ``is the worst thing that can happen to a human being,'' he said.