Posted on 12/11/2005 1:06:08 PM PST by rightwingintelligentsia
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi and British officials said Sunday they had no word on the fate of four Christian peace activists, more than a day after the expiration of a deadline set by kidnappers to kill them if all prisoners weren't released.
Interior Minister Bayan Jabr and British Defense Secretary John Reid said separately that their governments had no information about the hostages — who include an American, a Briton and two Canadians.
"We have no information," Jabr told The Associated Press in Baghdad when asked about the hostages. "From the beginning I advised foreigners not to move freely and we are always ready to protect them."
The previously unknown Swords of Righteousness Brigade, which kidnapped the activists two weeks ago, had said the hostages would be killed by Saturday unless all prisoners were released. The group originally set last Thursday as a deadline, but extended that date.
Another three foreigners have been kidnapped besides the four activists.
"They are all people who came to serve us, to serve our people. This is a humanitarian matter and they were subjected to the ugliest type of blackmail," Jabr said.
When asked about the hostages, and the Briton in particular, Reid told Sky News television in London that officials were doing "everything possible to try and make sure his life is saved and that of his colleagues is protected."
"But we have no further indication of any movement as of this morning," he added.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
SNORE....SNORE.....Snore.....stretch and roll over
Perhaps - just perhaps - out of a sense of self-respect, the terrorists will lop their worthless heads off, anyway.
The hostages are in Paris, they posed for the hostage photos. There'll be an announcement soon that the terrorists let them go because the terrorists decided to show 'restraint' due to the hostages pro-terrorism policies.
Just my blue-sky thinking, who knows where they are. But I have serious doubts as to the veracity of this entire story - it seems too contrived.
Just in case anyone is getting worried about the "peacenick hostages."
I think I am more concerned about what happened to the security consultant(Robert Schultz) The jihadi's claim they killed him but a video of the execution has not surfaced on their leading sponser-Al Jazeera TV yet.
I expect the four peaceniks to pack up and go home as soon as the elections are over. They've got articles to write and a lot of America-bashing to do. They were suffering from the "stockholm syndrome" BEFORE they were taken hostage.
I agree with you that it's highly likely this is staged. Someone in church this morning offered up prayers for the "poor peacemakers" in Iraq, and it was all I could do to keep from adding my editorial commentary to his prayer request.
What ever happened to this story?
I have not heard or seen any updates on this story since I originally posted it. Perhaps in a few weeks, as some have predicted, they'll turn up in Paris and issue the perfunctory anti-US statement, saying they'd been released by their "freedom-fighting" hostage takers.
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