An Islamic Web site showed videotape Tuesday of a blindfolded American hostage in Saudi Arabia and of abductors threatening to execute him unless Saudi authorities free al-Qaeda prisoners within three days.
Paul Johnson was abducted Saturday by a group calling itself al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The organization is led by al-Qaeda's chief in Saudi Arabia, Abd al-Aziz al-Moqrin, who is identified as speaking on the tape.
"My name is Paul Marshall Johnson, Jr.," the hostage says in the tape. "I am an American. ... I work on Apache helicopters."
The tape showed a hooded man reading a statement and holding an AK-47 rifle. As the man was reading, a subtitle on the screen identified him as al-Moqrin.
The statement on the Web site says the holy warriors of the Arabian peninsula's Fallujah Brigade has "hit" the engineering team that "oversees the development of the American Apache helicopter that attacks Muslims in Palestine and Afghanistan."
It says: "The Fallujah Brigade has killed the director of this team and kidnapped one of its engineers, Paul Johnson, and if the tyrannical Saudi government wants their US master to be freed, then they have to release our holy warriors that are held in Ha'ir, Ruweis and Alisha prisons within 72 hours of this statement's date or else we will sacrifice his blood to God in revenge for our Muslim brothers who have been liberally killed everywhere."
The statement is dated June 15.
The Web site statement addressed Muslims all over the world, saying: "We have made a promise to ourselves to defend you. We will not let you down, and you should know that the treacherous tyrants who have helped the Americans against you, and shared your blood with them, do not represent the Muslims of Saudi Arabia. They are our enemies as much as they are your enemies. They are the enemies of God and his prophet." (Albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
