Washington - Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, convicted of trying to assassinate former US president Gerald Ford, was released Friday after 33 years in prison, a spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed.

Fromme, 60, was handed a life sentence after pointing a loaded gun at Ford during a California event in 1975. A secret service agent managed to wrestle Fromme to the floor before she was able to pull the trigger.

A devoted follower of the infamous serial murderer Charles Manson, Fromme has been unrepentant about her crime. She had been eligible for parole as early as 1985 but refused a hearing, preferring to remain behind bars.

She was released Friday morning from Carswell Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas, said spokeswoman Linda Thomas of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.(dpa)