| Family and friends of an American contractor kidnapped and beheaded in Saudi Arabia gathered for a funeral Saturday, more than two months after the engineer disappeared. About 100 people attended services for Paul M. Johnson Jr., who once lived in Florida and had worked in Saudi Arabia for Lockheed Martin for more than a decade. Johnson was kidnapped June 12 by militants in Riyadh who demanded the release of al-Qaida prisoners in exchange for the 49-year-old's life. Photographs and a video of the beheading were later posted on the Internet. Hours later, Saudi security forces shot and killed Abdulaziz al-Moqrin, alleged mastermind of Johnson's kidnapping and murder. Not all of Johnson's remains were recovered, but the family thought it was time for a funeral. "This is not a full closure, but it is some closure," said Johnson's son, Paul M. Johnson III. Johnson's remains will be cremated and sent to Thailand. His widow is a native of Thailand, and the couple had planned to move there after Johnson's contract expired. Johnson's casket, draped with an American flag, was carried into a church by an Air Force honor guard, which also fired a gun salute. |