Palestinian gunmen kidnapped a photographer working for the Associated Press news agency in Gaza on Tuesday, keeping him captive more than 12 hours before pressure from Palestinian officials secured his release. Spaniard Emilio Morenatti, 37, was grabbed by four gunmen as he headed out of his apartment to an AP car on Tuesday morning. He was put in another vehicle and driven away, the AP said. Nobody claimed responsibility for the abduction.
| Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said "the identity of the kidnappers is known and they will be prosecuted... |
Morenatti's release came after the kidnapping was denounced by the Hamas-led government and President Mahmoud Abbas, who heads the rival Fatah movement. "The Associated Press is relieved that Emilio has been released, apparently unharmed. The security of our journalists is always our top concern," Tom Curley, president and CEO of The Associated Press, said in a statement. "We appreciate the assistance offered by so many people in obtaining his release, especially the Palestinian Authority and the office of the foreign minister of Spain."
Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said he had contacted Abbas and other Palestinian officials over the kidnapping. Senior security officials brought Morenatti to Abbas's office in Gaza after his release, witnesses said. Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said "the identity of the kidnappers is known and they will be prosecuted", according to an official in Haniyeh's office. Haniyeh thanked his interior minister and security service for their efforts. |