9:58 p.m. Ethan, a soon-to-be 6-year-old, is said to be laughing, eating, and playing in the comfort of his family's arms, according to AL.com reporter Erin Edgemon.



9:16 p.m. "It just got really tough to negotiate with him and communicate with him," Olson said. "I appreciate the patience of the press."



9:13 p.m. Few new details coming out.



9:12 p.m. "We were certainly concerned for the safety of the child," said Steve Richardson of the FBI's Mobile office. "The success story is that he's out safe and doing great." Investigation will likely last several days.



9:09 p.m. "They're gathering facts...A lot of things I can't release right now," Olson said. "It's by the grace of God, he's OK," Olson said of Ethan. "I'm a father...It's a relief for us to be able to reunite a mother with her child."



9:05 p.m. Dale County Sheriff Wally Olson thanks law enforcement agencies that assisted and communities. "There still is an ongoing investigation," Olson said.



9:06 p.m. CNN has reported President Obama called the director of the FBI to congratulate him on Ethan's rescue.





8:52 p.m. State Sen. Harri Anne Smith told AL.com reporter Erin Edgemon she was arriving to visit Ethan's mother when law enforcement spirited her away. "She is such an amazing person," Smith said. "She has been brave."

8:36 p.m. AL.com cartoonist J.D. Crowe has posted his response to the news of Ethan's rescue. You can see that cartoon here.



8:12 p.m. The British newspaper Daily Mail reported Dykes 'believed that aliens were being kept by the U.S. government, and they were threatening to take America's weapons.'

7:53 p.m. CNN is reporting the FBI borrowed devices used to discover homemade bombs in war zones from the U.S. military to aid in the Midland City standoff.



7:45 p.m. A steady stream of police officers are leaving the scene, taking with them generators and other equipment used during standoff. A previously scheduled press conference has been pushed to 9:30 p.m.

7:38 p.m. The FBI's Hostage Rescue Team, credited with entering the bunker where Ethan was held, marked its 30th anniversary in January. Here is a video of a HRT training exercise.



7:05 p.m. Ethan's uncle Thomas Mabe told The Dothan Eagle the child is physically in good condition, but has "a long way to go."



6:59 p.m. Citing CBS News nightly broadcast, the Los Angeles Times is reporting the FBI had a camera inside the bunker and created two distractions before entering the bunker this afternoon.

6:43 p.m. WSFA is reporting Ethan will turn 6-years-old this week. Birthday cards can be mailed to:



NFPD c/o Lt. McDaniel

400 Headquarters Street

Napier Field, AL. 36303

6:39 p.m. In the latest update from the Associated Press, Michael Senn, pastor of a church near where reporters had been camped out since the standoff began, said: "Ever since this started, there's never been a moment that (the boy) wasn't on my mind. So when I heard that he was OK, it was just like a thousand pounds lifted off of me."

FBI spokesman Jason Pack also told the AP that bomb technicians were clearing the property for explosive devices and planned to look more closely at the scene when it's safe.

6:27 p.m. New images have been added to AL.com's Midland City photo gallery.



6:16 p.m. Dothan Eagle reporter Lance Griffin reported on Twitter that technicians are searching bunker area for explosives. Griffin also reported Ethan's mother asked that Dykes not be harmed if possible.



6:07 p.m. CBS News has posted a picture of Ethan provided by the child's family.



6:04 p.m. Neighbors tell AL.com reporter Erin Edgemon they are relieved Ethan is safe. AL.com reporter Madison Underwood has a round-up of social media responses to the rescue.



5:42 p.m. Law enforcement will brief reporters at 6:30 p.m. with more information about the rescue of Ethan.

5:27 p.m. Deputies are guarding all entrances to the emergency room at Flowers hospital, where Ethan is being treated, sources tell AL.com.

5:05 p.m. The FBI's Hostage Rescue team, commonly known as the HRT, is the group that entered the bunker and saved Ethan, according to a report by CNN.

5:04 p.m.

State Rep. Mike Hubbard posted his reaction to the situation on Facebook:

"Our prayers have been answered with Ethan's safe recovery. Thank you to our brave first responders, law enforcement officials and others who worked long hours to ensure the safe return of this child to his family. Let us also not forget the brave efforts of bus driver Charles Poland, Jr. who will forever be remembered for his heroic

efforts . Our prayers will continue for the families and friends of those involved as well as for the Midland community," Hubbard wrote.

4:54 p.m. Melissa Knighton, the city clerk in Midland City, told the Associated Press that a woman had been praying for Ethan and his safe recovery in the town center Monday afternoon. Not long after, the mayor called her with news that the hostage crisis had ended.

"She must have had a direct line to God because shortly after she left, they heard the news," Knighton said. (Spelling of Knighton's name corrected at 6:44 p.m.)

4:43 p.m.

Sen. Harri Anne Smith told WSFA she was with Ethan's mother when she got the call. Smith says his mother was strong and the little boy was brave. The mother is with her son at the hospital.

4:38 p.m. Alabama

Gov. Robert Bentley issued a statement:

"I am thankful that the child who was abducted is now safe. I am so happy this little boy can now be reunited with his family and friends. We will all continue to pray for the little boy and his family as they recover from the trauma of the last several days.

At the same time, we also want to remember the family and friends of the bus driver - Charles Poland, Junior. This man was a true hero who was willing to give up his life so others might live. We are all inspired by his courage and bravery. I ask everyone across the state - and the nation - to continue to lift up these families and the entire Midland City community in your prayers," the statement read in part.

4:36 p.m. Law enforcement officials confirm Dykes is dead but declined to say whether they shot him or if he shot himself.

Dykes was seen with a gun in his hand, Richardson said.

4:30 p.m.

Steve Richardson, Special Agent in Charge of FBI's Mobile office said that at 3:12 p.m, the FBI safely recovered the child. He said that within the the past 24 hours negotiations deteriorated, and f

earing the child was in imminent danger, agents entered the bunker.

"I want to thank everyone who has supported us," Richardson said. Check out the video of the press conference here.

4:30 p.m. New photos emerge of the hostage situation take down.

Midland City Hostage Crisis Over 21 Gallery: Midland City Hostage Crisis Over

3:45 p.m. After seven days spent hostage in Jimmy Lee Dykes underground bunker in Midland City, 5-year-old Ethan has been freed and is alive, sources told AL.com

The hostage situation ended sometime on Monday. Sources at the scene confirm that Ethan is safe and the hostage-taker, 65-year-old Jimmy Lee Dykes, is dead. It was not immediately clear if Dykes was killed in a rescue attempt, or if he took his own life.

Daryle Hendry, who lives about a quarter-mile from Dykes' bunker, told the Associated Press he heard a boom followed by a gunshot this afternoon. Reports did not indicate what may have caused the commotion.

"It literally made me jump off the ground, " a neighbor of Dykes just told CNN. "I can't believe this happened in our little town."

A reporter at Midland City's local paper, the

, said on Twitter Monday afternoon that Ethan's m

other was escorted by law enforcement from her home, presumably to be reunited with her son.

According to an interview with Rep. Steve Clouse on CNN, Ethan is currently undergoing a medical evaluation at Flowers Hospital in Dothan.

Support for Ethan and his family was echoed across the state and nation:

"Relieved the Midland City hostage situation is over. Now pray for this little boy's mental & emotional recovery," Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey posted on Twitter.

AL.com reporters are on the scene of this emerging story. AL.com reporter Carol Robinson contributed to this report.

See more AL.com coverage of the Midland City hostage crisis.