Saudi security forces hunted for militants yesterday as the deadline for an Al-Qaeda threat to kill an American hostage loomed, but there was no official word of any arrests.
| He's toast. He's probably already dead... |
The kidnappers have given the government until tonight to release jailed Al-Qaeda militants or it will execute engineer Paul Marshal Johnson, who was kidnapped last Saturday by a group calling itself the Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The threat to kill Mr Johnson, which follows a spate of suicide bombings and shootings in the past six weeks, raised the stakes in Al-Qaeda's war to topple Saudi Arabia's pro-United States monarchy and drive out Westerners from the world's largest oil exporter. Saudi officials have pledged not to give in to the demands, saying the kingdom does not negotiate with terrorists or hostage-takers. This point was amplified yesterday in Saudi newspapers, which quoted officials as saying they had no intention whatsoever of bowing to the captors' demands. 'What kind of deal can be struck with those who gun down unarmed civilians and openly boast of their gruesome tactics?' the English-language Saudi Gazette said. |