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Islamic Group Shows Tape of U.S. Hostage
An Islamic Web site showed videotape Tuesday of a blindfolded American hostage in Saudi Arabia and of abductors threatening to kill him unless Saudi authorities free al-Qaida prisoners within three days. Paul Johnson, 49, of Stafford Township, N.J., was abducted Saturday by a group calling itself al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. The organization is believed to be headed by al-Qaidaâs chief in the Saudi kingdom, Abdullah-aziz al-Moqrin, who is identified as speaking on the tape. "My name is Paul Marshall Johnson, Jr.," the hostage says in the tape, seated and with an elaborate tattoo showing on his left shoulder. "I am an American. ... I work on Apache helicopters."
A U.S. official said the threat should be taken "very seriously" because the posting appeared to be credible and militants have used the site before. "It has been a good indicator in the past," the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. The Web site was posted on the same day Saudi Arabiaâs ruling crown prince warned Islamic militants that the kingdom planned to deploy more security forces than they had ever faced before. "Be assured that the kingdom has enough men whom you havenât seen so far, but within the coming few days you will see them," Crown Prince Abdullah told the militants, whose attacks have increased during the past three months. His remarks were televised.
The tape on the Web site, http://www.hostinganime.com/sout18/ , showed a hooded man reading a statement and holding an AK-47 rifle. As the man was reading, a subtitle on the screen identified him as al-Moqrin. His statement was similar to a printed message on the Web site that carried the name of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. It said the group gave Saudi authorities 72 hours â by Friday â to release "mujahadeen" militants or it would kill the hostage.
Segments of the tape appeared to have been edited together and showed a blindfolded Johnson sitting in a chair with his profile to the camera.
| I saw the video last night and it was professionally done. The video of Johnson was shot in the usual poor quality with bad lighting, but the inserts of someone calling themselves al-Moqrin were top-notch. Good lighting with no shadows, better camera work, nice backdrop, and quality CG work in arabic and english. Looked like it had been done in a studio somewhere and edited into the shots of the hostage. I'm betting al-Moqrin was no where near Johnson. |
In one sequence, Johnson appeared to have a bandage around his neck, or a gag that had been pulled down from his mouth. The tape also displayed his Lockheed Martin identification card. Adel al-Jubeir, foreign affairs adviser to the Saudi government, told The Associated Press that the kingdom was trying to determine the authenticity of the tape and would consult with the Bush administration about what to do next. Al-Jubeir also said the current situation with the Islamic militants was not a crisis but a serious issue that the Saudi kingdom will be dealing with for some time. "Their strategy is to try to sow fear in peopleâs hearts, and to panic, and to cause an exodus of foreign workers from Saudi Arabia, in particular Westerners," he said. "They are trying to scare foreign workers into leaving Saudi Arabia because they believe it will weaken the Saudi economy and consequently weaken the Saudi government, but they are correct mistaken."
| Foreign workers wouldn't be nearly as scared if every time they were surrounded the Bad Guyz didn't somehow manage to evaporate. |
The statement on the Web site says the holy warriors of the Arabian peninsulaâs Fallujah Brigade has "hit" the engineering team that "oversees the development of the American Apache helicopter that attacks Muslims in Palestine and Afghanistan." It says: "The Fallujah Brigade has killed the director of this team and kidnapped one of its engineers, Paul Johnson, and if the tyrannical Saudi government wants their American master to be released, then they have to release our holy warriors that are held in Hair, Ruweis and Alisha prisons within 72 hours of this statementâs date or else we will sacrifice his blood to God in revenge for our Muslim brothers who have been liberally killed everywhere." The statement is dated June 15. The Web site statement addressed Muslims all over the world, saying: "We have made a promise to ourselves to defend you. We will not let you down, and you should know that the treacherous tyrants who have helped the Americans against you, and shared your blood with them, do not represent the Muslims of Saudi Arabia. They are our enemies as much as they are your enemies. They are the enemies of God and his prophet."
On Monday, Johnsonâs son spoke to reporters about his fatherâs love of Arabic culture. Paul Johnson III said his father once sent a copy of the Quran to his sister, with passages highlighted from the Islamic holy text that he felt were especially important. "He felt he never had any fear for his safety and respects and honors their traditions and cultures," Johnson III said. "Dad said many times he loved living in Saudi Arabia."
It does not matter if you love or hate them, they are going to kill you anyways...
Posted by: Anonymous4617 2004-06-16 |
