
In a posting on an Islamic website today, a group calling itself "Al
Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula" has threatened to execute Paul Marshall Johnson, who is being held hostage in Saudi Arabia. The group demands the
release of prisoners held in Saudi Arabia within 72 hours to prevent the Lockheed Martin employee's execution.
The website also contained a video of the blindfolded Johnson. It then showed his Lockheed Martin ID card and what appeared to be a passport photo.
A hooded man read the statement, with a subtitle on the video identifying him as "al-Moqrin."
Sky.com
The statement threatening his execution, along with video footage, was posted on an Islamist website.
"If the tyrants of the Saudi government want their master, Paul Marshall Johnson, to be released, they must release the mujahedeen held in the
prisons in Haer, Ar-Ruwais and Allecha within 72 hours... Otherwise, we will execute him to avenge our Muslim brothers whose blood has been spilled in
several parts" of the world, the statement said.
The statement, the authenticity of which cannot be confirmed, was signed "Al-Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula".
Please visit the link provided for the complete story.
The website posting the video and statement is
www.hostinganime.com... , which has since been taken offline.
Those who have seen the video describe Johnson as "...blindfolded with a piece of white fabric and tape. He was wearing a red shirt torn in parts so
a tattoo on his left shoulder became visible." The man reading the statement introduced himself as Abdel Aziz al-Muqrin; he held an AK-47 and had
what appeared to be explosives strapped about his waist.
Paul Johnson disappeared Saturday, June 12th and was almost immediately claimed as a hostage by the same group issuing the threats. On Saturday,
another American, Robert Jacobs, was gunned down in Riyadh.
Related News Stories:
Guardian.co.uk
News.com.au
[edit on 16-6-2004 by Banshee]
[edit on 6-16-2004 by Valhall]