Carroll phoned the Guardian last night to confirm that his captors had released him into the hands of the Iraqi government.
A Foreign Office spokesman said that Carroll, an Irish national, was being cared for by British consular staff, as Ireland does not have an embassy in Iraq.
The spokesman said: "We can confirm that he is safe and well and in the care of British embassy consular staff."
Carroll had been based in Iraq for the last nine months and was in the Shia-dominated Sadr City district of Baghdad on Wednesday when he was kidnapped. His captors, whom he described as Shia "opportunists", imprisoned him in an underground cell.
His release came when one of the kidnappers received a mobile phone call. The man laughed, sounded relieved, and told Carroll that he was being released.
Carroll's family expressed their joy and relief at his release. His father Joe, a former foreign correspondent, said it was a miracle that his son had been released so soon.
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