Guardian: Neil's regrets over whistleblower kidnap

[Vladimir]

Andrew Neil has admitted he still regrets not doing more to protect Mordechai Vanunu, freed from prison in Israel today 18 years after he blew the whistle on the country's nuclear weapons programme.
Neil, who brought the world Mr Vanunu's story when he was editor of the Sunday Times, said the former nuclear technician had "wandered off" from the safe house the newspaper had provided before his kidnap by Israeli secret service in 1986.

"I still have regrets that we could not have done more to keep him out of Mossad's hands. But I suppose if you're dealing with the Israeli secret service and you're just a newspaper then if they want to kidnap your source they will do it," Neil told Sky News this morning.

The Sunday Times scoop was ignored or discredited by rival papers at the time - and when Mr Vanunu was kidnapped, the paper came in for criticism for not keeping a close enough eye on him following his revelations.

Read the rest at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1199874,00.html