TAPE PURPORTEDLY SHOWS KIDNAPPED REPORTERS

[merh]

Posted on Wed, Mar. 30, 2005

Tape purportedly shows kidnapped reporters

Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The Al-Jazeera satellite channel aired a tape Wednesday said to show three kidnapped Romanian journalists and a fourth unidentified person.

The station said the four were held by an unnamed militant group. The authenticity of the tape could not be verified.

The tape showed the four seated on the ground in a room, with a blanket hung behind them. Two men - their faces covered with scarves - pointed guns at them.

(snip)

http://www.sunherald.com/mld/sunherald/news/11269044.htm

[merh]

1. Kick

Is anyone out there?

[merh]

2. Maybe the evening shift will read this.

n/t

[daleo]

3. Maybe they will let them go.

Then they can be shot by U.S. troops on the way to the airport. I wonder what ever happened to the Italian journalist's car?

[merh]

4. Didn't the US deny the Italians access to it?

I believe the US has it, they just won't let the Italians see it or inspect it.

[daleo]

5. That's the last I heard, too.

But the news has been pretty quiet on the subject for the last couple weeks or so.

[Algomas]

10. On Democracy Now...

A spokesperson for Sgrena said the road they were on was not the Baghdad airport road. They were on a secure road only traveled by authorized personnel. The attack came from behind which is why the US will not let the Italians see it as it shows their version of the incident to be total lie.

[NNN0LHI]

6. U.S. Citizen Kidnapped in Iraq with Three Romanians

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20050330/us_nm/iraq_romanians_usa_dc&cid=1896&ncid=1480

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. citizen was kidnapped in Iraq on Monday along with three Romanian journalists, the State Department said on Wednesday.

We can confirm that an American citizen was taken along with the three Romanian journalists kidnapped in Iraq on Monday," said State Department spokesman Steve Pike, declining to provide further information about the U.S. citizen.

more

[daleo]

7. The picture is interesting.

It looks to me like at least one of the guards might be a woman. I think this will eventually be a very convoluted story.

[NNN0LHI]

8. Hope they don't treat our prisoners like we treat theirs n/t

[cal04]

9. According to Romanian media, he is an Iraqi-American

There was no immediate confirmation of the identity of the fourth captive shown on the tape, but US deputy secretary of state Robert Zoellick has said that a fourth person, a US national, went missing as the same time as the Romanians.

According to Romanian media, he is an Iraqi-American businessman, Mohammed Munaf, who financed the travel of the Romanians and acted as their guide in Baghdad.


http://www.news24.com/News24/World/Iraq/0,,2-10-1460_1683061,00.html