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Missing Marine at U.S. Embassy in Beirut
Now what happens?A U.S. Marine who was reported missing in Iraq more than two weeks ago is alive and at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, where American officials are meeting with him, authorities said Thursday. Cpl. Wassef Ali Hassoun is safe and appears to be in good health, said a Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity. In making the announcement about Hassoun, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said in Washington: "We were able to go get him." When reached at his West Jordan, Utah, home Thursday morning, Hassounâs brother, Mohamad, said he had no comment. Contradictory reports have surrounded the fate of the 24-year-old Lebanese native since his disappearance June 20. On Saturday, a statement posted on a Web site known for extremist Muslim comment said Hassoun had been beheaded. A day later, another Web statement declared he had not been killed. An Iraqi militant group said Monday it was holding him in a safe place but hadnât killed him. Al-Jazeera television broadcast the statement from "Islamic Response," which claimed responsibility June 27 for Hassounâs kidnapping. Posted by: Sherry 2004-07-08 |
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