New Terrorist Group Claims Responsibility for Fox Journalists Abduction
Jim Kouri, CPP
August 23, 2006
A new group of Palestinian terrorists, The Holy Jihad Brigades, has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of two Fox News journalists. In a message, the terrorists said they will give the United States 72 hours to trade the journalists for Muslim prisoners being detained in US detention centers and prisons.
Fox News Channel showed a videotape originally received from the Palestinian news agency Ramattan. It was the first glimpse of Fox correspondent Steve Centanni, 60, and cameraman Olaf Wiig, 36, of New Zealand since they were abducted on August 14 from their TV van near the Palestinian security services headquarters in Gaza City.
Their abductors wore black masks and were heavily armed when they captured the journalists who were covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza, according to Palestinian Authority police officials.
While other Palestinian terrorist groups have kidnapped foreigners from the US and Europe, including members of the news media, this is the longest any have been kept in captivity.
Ramattan News Agency claims the men are safe and that the Holy Jihad Brigades had demanded that Muslim prisoners in US jails be released within three days in exchange for Centanni and Wiig. The group did not say what would happen if the deadline passed unanswered, Ramattan reported.
In the video, Centanni and Wiig appeared unharmed and, according to PA police.
Centanni and Wiig appear in the video aired by Fox sitting on the floor. The journalists say in the video footage that they are in good hands and appealed to the US government for response to their kidnappers’ demands.
Past terrorist abduction incidents follow a clear pattern: Militants boast of their success within hours, followed by demands for jobs or freedom for jailed relatives, then brief negotiations and finally the release of those abducted, often the same day.
Upon release, during the abductees debriefing they tell Similar stories of being served tea and robust meals of rice and meat, passing the time watching TV, or chatting with the terrorists.
But this case of abduction has not followed the usual pattern. Until Wednesday, no group had claimed they perpetrated the kidnapping, and the whereabouts of the Fox News journalists remained a mystery despite emotional appeals from family members.
Palestinian government officials, including Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, have called for the release of Centanni and Wiig.
Fox News Channel showed a videotape originally received from the Palestinian news agency Ramattan. It was the first glimpse of Fox correspondent Steve Centanni, 60, and cameraman Olaf Wiig, 36, of New Zealand since they were abducted on August 14 from their TV van near the Palestinian security services headquarters in Gaza City.
Their abductors wore black masks and were heavily armed when they captured the journalists who were covering the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Gaza, according to Palestinian Authority police officials.
While other Palestinian terrorist groups have kidnapped foreigners from the US and Europe, including members of the news media, this is the longest any have been kept in captivity.
Ramattan News Agency claims the men are safe and that the Holy Jihad Brigades had demanded that Muslim prisoners in US jails be released within three days in exchange for Centanni and Wiig. The group did not say what would happen if the deadline passed unanswered, Ramattan reported.
In the video, Centanni and Wiig appeared unharmed and, according to PA police.
Centanni and Wiig appear in the video aired by Fox sitting on the floor. The journalists say in the video footage that they are in good hands and appealed to the US government for response to their kidnappers’ demands.
Past terrorist abduction incidents follow a clear pattern: Militants boast of their success within hours, followed by demands for jobs or freedom for jailed relatives, then brief negotiations and finally the release of those abducted, often the same day.
Upon release, during the abductees debriefing they tell Similar stories of being served tea and robust meals of rice and meat, passing the time watching TV, or chatting with the terrorists.
But this case of abduction has not followed the usual pattern. Until Wednesday, no group had claimed they perpetrated the kidnapping, and the whereabouts of the Fox News journalists remained a mystery despite emotional appeals from family members.
Palestinian government officials, including Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, have called for the release of Centanni and Wiig.
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