.Envoy's Kidnappers Want Iraq Embassy Shut
CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - The kidnappers of a United Arab Emirates diplomat in Iraq demanded the closure of the country's Baghdad embassy in a video shown Thursday on Arab television.
Al-Jazeera television did not air any audio with the video, but said the kidnappers demanded the closure of the UAE Embassy and the shutdown of an Iraqi Shiite television station. The video showed a man said to be the hostage.
Naji Rashid al-Nuaimi, 28, was seized Tuesday night in Baghdad by gunmen who shot and killed his Sudanese driver.
The man said to be al-Nuaimi, wearing a gray traditional Arab robe, was shown standing in front of a bare wall, his body swaying nervously. He was not blindfolded or bound.
Al-Jazeera said a previously unknown group calling itself the Banner of Islam claimed responsibility for the abduction.
The kidnappers also demanded the shutdown of Al-Fayhaa television, a Shiite-owned satellite station based in the southern Iraqi city of Basra.
No gunmen were seen in the video, and Al-Jazeera did not report whether the group threatened to kill al-Nuaimi.
Al-Nuaimi is the latest Arab embassy worker to be kidnapped in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003, some by al-Qaida in Iraq to undercut support for the U.S.-backed government among Arab countries.
In July 2005, al-Qaida in Iraq kidnapped and killed two Algerian and one Egyptian diplomat. Al-Qaida said it killed the Egyptian because Cairo intended to install a full ambassador in Iraq.
Arab nations have since then been hesitant to send ambassadors to Baghdad.
Two Moroccan Embassy workers, driver Abderrahim Boualam and employee Abdelkrim el Mouhafidi, disappeared in October 2005 while driving from Jordan. Al-Qaida in Iraq said it had kidnapped the men, and in November the terror group said it had sentenced them to death. They have not been heard from since.
Senior envoys from Pakistan and Bahrain have managed to escape kidnap attempts. More than 40 diplomatic missions are currently in Iraq.
At least 439 foreigners have been kidnapped in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion three years ago, according to figures provided Wednesday by a special U.S. anti-kidnapping task force.
Statistics from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad's Hostage Working Group show the victims include 165 private contractors and their employees, 63 drivers, 39 journalists, 23 non-governmental organization workers and 15 diplomats or government employees, among others.
Some kidnap victims have gotten a lot of attention, such as American freelance reporter Jill Carroll, who spent 82 days in captivity before being released March 30.
Other foreigners kidnapped included 14 telecommunications workers, eight Christian missionaries, six military personnel, four translators, three local politicians, two students, one Shiite cleric, one tourist, one filmmaker, one jobseeker, and 93 people of unknown professions.
According to an AP tally, more than 260 foreigners have been abducted, at least 40 killed.
MyWay
Well, I cant wait to see what the UAE's response will be, will they pay the ransom, or will they send in some"seals" to rescue their diplomat. Is there a third option, a negotiating team?
Al-Jazeera television did not air any audio with the video, but said the kidnappers demanded the closure of the UAE Embassy and the shutdown of an Iraqi Shiite television station. The video showed a man said to be the hostage.
Naji Rashid al-Nuaimi, 28, was seized Tuesday night in Baghdad by gunmen who shot and killed his Sudanese driver.
The man said to be al-Nuaimi, wearing a gray traditional Arab robe, was shown standing in front of a bare wall, his body swaying nervously. He was not blindfolded or bound.
Al-Jazeera said a previously unknown group calling itself the Banner of Islam claimed responsibility for the abduction.
The kidnappers also demanded the shutdown of Al-Fayhaa television, a Shiite-owned satellite station based in the southern Iraqi city of Basra.
No gunmen were seen in the video, and Al-Jazeera did not report whether the group threatened to kill al-Nuaimi.
Al-Nuaimi is the latest Arab embassy worker to be kidnapped in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003, some by al-Qaida in Iraq to undercut support for the U.S.-backed government among Arab countries.
In July 2005, al-Qaida in Iraq kidnapped and killed two Algerian and one Egyptian diplomat. Al-Qaida said it killed the Egyptian because Cairo intended to install a full ambassador in Iraq.
Arab nations have since then been hesitant to send ambassadors to Baghdad.
Two Moroccan Embassy workers, driver Abderrahim Boualam and employee Abdelkrim el Mouhafidi, disappeared in October 2005 while driving from Jordan. Al-Qaida in Iraq said it had kidnapped the men, and in November the terror group said it had sentenced them to death. They have not been heard from since.
Senior envoys from Pakistan and Bahrain have managed to escape kidnap attempts. More than 40 diplomatic missions are currently in Iraq.
At least 439 foreigners have been kidnapped in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion three years ago, according to figures provided Wednesday by a special U.S. anti-kidnapping task force.
Statistics from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad's Hostage Working Group show the victims include 165 private contractors and their employees, 63 drivers, 39 journalists, 23 non-governmental organization workers and 15 diplomats or government employees, among others.
Some kidnap victims have gotten a lot of attention, such as American freelance reporter Jill Carroll, who spent 82 days in captivity before being released March 30.
Other foreigners kidnapped included 14 telecommunications workers, eight Christian missionaries, six military personnel, four translators, three local politicians, two students, one Shiite cleric, one tourist, one filmmaker, one jobseeker, and 93 people of unknown professions.
According to an AP tally, more than 260 foreigners have been abducted, at least 40 killed.
MyWay
Well, I cant wait to see what the UAE's response will be, will they pay the ransom, or will they send in some"seals" to rescue their diplomat. Is there a third option, a negotiating team?
posted by madtom at 6:20 PM
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