http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/hostage/ en-us Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:18:24 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418540/posts The US has released the leader of an Iranian-backed Shia terror group behind the kidnapping and murder of five US soldiers in Karbala in January 2007. Qais Qazali, the leader of the Asaib al Haq, or the League of the Righteous, was set free by the US military and transferred to Iraqi custody in exchange for the release of British hostage Peter Moore, US military officers and intelligence officials told The Long War Journal. The US military directly implicated Qais in the kidnapping and murder of five US soldiers in Karbala in January 2007. “We let a very dangerous man... The New Media Journal http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2418540/posts#comment Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:18:24 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414459/posts A man suspected of taking hostages in a post office in the US state of Virginia has been arrested after a stand-off lasting several hours, police say. Authorities in Wytheville persuaded Warren Taylor to give himself up and release three people he was holding. Mr Taylor was reported to have entered the post office pushing a wheelchair and claiming to be carrying explosives. He initially fired shots from the building but no-one was reported to have been injured. bbc http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414459/posts#comment Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:44:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414087/posts <p>The man entered the Wytheville, Virginia, post office about 2:30 p.m. and fired a shot, Mayor Trent Crewe said. No one has been hurt, but three postal workers and two customers are being held hostage, he said.</p> <p>There also are reports that the man has a "device" and it appears the man's car, parked outside the office, is equipped with some type of device, Crewe said. He did not elaborate on what the device could be.</p> http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2414087/posts#comment Wed, 23 Dec 2009 23:13:37 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412855/posts Mauritania government has increased security for tourists in the country following the abductions last week of two Italian tourists near the border with Mali. Sergio Cicala and his wife Philomene Kabouree were kidnapped in an area of Mauritania where armed groups with links to Al-Qaeda are known to operate, diplomats said. There are suspicions the couple may have been smuggled into neighbouring Mali. "After these new kidnappings, it has been decided to adopt all necessary measures to ensure the personal security of foreigners in our country," the government said, quoted on Monday by pan-Arab daily al-Quds al-Arabi. It was the... ADNKRONOS.com - AKI http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2412855/posts#comment Tue, 22 Dec 2009 12:05:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407033/posts SNIPPET: "The US military targeted a Taliban commander in eastern Afghanistan who was behind the kidnapping of a Norwegian journalist in November. The Taliban commander, who is known as Haji Mohammad Dawran Safi or Qari Dawat, was the target of a November 26 airstrike in the eastern province of Kunar. Qari Dawat "is known for attacking innocent civilians in the Kunar region, as well as international forces and bases," the US military noted in a press release on Nov. 27, one day after the strike. Qari Dawat was not named, however. An Afghan Police commander confirmed the airstrike and said... LONG WAR JOURNAL.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407033/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:19:01 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402640/posts Note: The following text is a quote: Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces Capture of Three Members of Colombian Terrorist Group Charged with Hostage-Taking of U.S. Citizen PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, JOHN V. GILLIES, the Special Agent-in-Charge of the Miami Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ("FBI") and MICHELE M. LEONHART, the Acting Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration ("DEA"), announced today the arrest of EDILBERTO BERRIO ORTIZ, a/k/a "El Gavilan," ALEJANDRO PALACIOS RENGIFO, a/k/a "El Gato," a/k/a "Yimi," and ANDERSON CHAMAPURO DOGIRAMA, a/k/a "El Tigre," a/k/a "Dairon," three members of the... NewYork.FBI.gov - DOJ Press Release http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2402640/posts#comment Tue, 8 Dec 2009 05:56:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2383061/posts JEFFERSON CITY - Portions of downtown Jefferson City are shut down due to a possible hostage situation in a government building. State employees in the building say police officers are outside patroling the area with assault rifles. The area is locked down. Follow KOMU online and on Twitter for updates. A viewer called KOMU to say a hostage situation took place in the Governor's Building on Madison Street. Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder is sending accounts from his Twitter account saying snipers are on the roof of the Jefferson Building and negotiators are on the scene to speak with a suspect... KOMU-TV http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2383061/posts#comment Tue, 10 Nov 2009 16:51:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2370198/posts Tremayne Durham still wants his money back. Three years ago Durham killed one man and held another hostage in an unsuccessful attempt to get back $18,000 he thought he was due. He is now serving a life sentence in the Oregon State Penitentiary, but he hasn't given up trying to collect. Today, he's using the courts instead of a .357 magnum -- and so far, he's having more success. Durham has filed suit in Multnomah County Circuit Court against Rob Chambers, whom he paid nearly $18,000 to build a soft-serve ice-cream truck in December 2005. Durham changed his mind a... Oregon Live http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2370198/posts#comment Sat, 24 Oct 2009 22:32:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2307382/posts Bauer is a freelance journalist and photographer based in the Middle East who has reported from Iraq, Syria, Sudan's Darfur region and Yemen, according to his Web site. He grew up in Minnesota and graduated from the University of California-Berkeley with a degree in Peace and Conflict Studies, the site said. Associated Press http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2307382/posts#comment Mon, 3 Aug 2009 20:39:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2306707/posts SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - An American linguistics student traveling in northern Iraq didn't go on an ill-fated hiking trip because he had a cold—a twist of fate that prevented him from mistakenly wandering into Iran where his three friends were reportedly detained. The Swiss Embassy in Tehran was working Sunday to learn more about the Americans' fate through its contacts with the Iranian Foreign Ministry, spokeswoman Nadine Olivieri said. Switzerland represents U.S. interests in Iran. Shon Meckfessel sat out the hike because he had a cold, his grandmother, Irene Meckfessel, told The Associated Press from her home in Carmichael, Calif.... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2306707/posts#comment Sun, 2 Aug 2009 22:22:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2306216/posts WASHINGTON (AP) - The State Department says it's aware of Iranian media reports that three American citizens have been detained in Iran. Spokesman Robert Wood says the U.S. has asked the Swiss, who represent American interests in Iran, to confirm the reports with Iranian authorities and arrange for diplomatic access to the three, if the reports are true. The Americans reportedly were detained Friday after crossing into Iran's Kurdistan province—when they failed to heed warnings from Iranian border guards. AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2306216/posts#comment Sat, 1 Aug 2009 23:59:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2296058/posts WASHINGTON (AP) - The Pentagon has identified the American soldier who went missing June 30 from his base in eastern Afghanistan and was later confirmed to have been captured. The Defense Department said in a statement Sunday that the soldier is Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl, 23, of Ketchum, Idaho. The statement also says his status is now classified as missing-captured, rather than whereabouts unknown. In a video posted online by the Taliban on Saturday, he's heard saying he's "scared I won't be able to go home." Before the Pentagon released Bergdahl's identity, two U.S. defense officials confirmed to The Associated... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2296058/posts#comment Sun, 19 Jul 2009 15:42:02 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2293938/posts A Taliban commander in southeastern Afghanistan today said that a captured U.S. soldier was being held unharmed by insurgents, but warned he would be killed if efforts were made to find him. The soldier has been missing in Paktika province since late June, just before thousands of U.S. Marines began a major new offensive. The U.S. military has said he was presumed captured. Taliban commander Mawlavi Sangin said the group's leadership would decide the soldier's fate, but accused U.S. soldiers of harassing and arresting Afghans in Paktika and neighbouring Ghazni province. 'They have put pressure on the people in these... DailyMail UK http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2293938/posts#comment Thu, 16 Jul 2009 14:45:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2287633/posts SOUTH WINDSOR, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut advertising executive who police say is holding his ex-wife hostage has told a reporter he wants a priest brought in to give the woman her last rites.Richard Shenkman said in a phone call Tuesday to a reporter with The Day of New London that he will release his ex-wife from his South Windsor home if police meet several demands.One demand was to provide a priest to give Nancy Tyler her last rites. A priest is at the scene.Police say the 60-year-old Shenkman kidnapped his ex-wife in Hartford from a parking ramp this morning.Shenkman's... ap http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2287633/posts#comment Tue, 7 Jul 2009 22:58:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2271146/posts STOCKTON, Calif. — A teenager who ran from a Northern California home wearing a shackle on his ankle endured frequent beatings, sometimes in front of other children, that worsened over the year he spent there, according to grand jury testimony made public Friday. ...snip...The boy told the grand jury in March that Ramirez and Lau beat him for infractions such as forgetting to water the lawn or not cleaning the bathroom properly, the court documents said. He said they initially hit him with their hands, but that eventually escalated to belts, a mallet, a hammer and an aluminum baseball bat. Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2271146/posts#comment Sat, 13 Jun 2009 17:59:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2241722/posts Iranian tyrants first arrested Saberi on a charge of buying wine, then changed it to not having the proper press credentials, and finally to spying. Make no mistake, Saberi’s situation is not one of “arrest” or “conviction,” this is a terrorist nation which has grabbed another American and is holding her hostage. But Roxana is not the only American journalist (and woman of color) who is held hostage by a terrorist nation. Laura Ling and Euna Lee were kidnapped by North Korean forces and have been held by that terrorist nation since March. Taking Iran’s cue, and seeing a typically... Fox News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2241722/posts#comment Fri, 1 May 2009 02:24:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2237475/posts SEEKONK, Mass. -- Shane Murphy, the second-in-command aboard the American merchant ship seized by pirates, lashed out at Rush Limbaugh for the talk show host's racial characterization in discussing the rescue of the ship's captain by the Navy. In commenting on the rescue of Capt. Richard Phillips by the Navy Seals who shot and killed the three Somali pirates who were holding him captive, Limbaugh generated controversy when he called the pirates "black teenagers." "There you have it, three teenagers shot on the high seas at the order of President Obama," said Limbaugh according to a transcript of an April... Bostonchannel.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2237475/posts#comment Sat, 25 Apr 2009 05:36:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2236006/posts <p>The Obama administration has asked a federal judge to throw out a lawsuit against Iran filed by Americans held hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran 30 years ago.</p> <p>The request comes in a $6.6 billion class-action lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Washington. Fifty-two American diplomats and military officials were held captive for more than a year at the end of Jimmy Carter's presidency by a group of Islamist students who supported the Iranian revolution.</p> AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2236006/posts#comment Thu, 23 Apr 2009 14:22:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2235588/posts The Obama administration has asked a federal judge to throw out a lawsuit against Iran filed by Americans held hostage at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran 30 years ago. FoxNews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2235588/posts#comment Wed, 22 Apr 2009 23:03:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2235534/posts We received a desperate plea yesterday from inside Iran on behalf of Roxana Saberi, the 31-year-old Iranian-American journalist convicted in Iran of espionage. Her fiance, award-winning Iranian-Kurdish filmmaker Bahman Ghobadi, wrote, "It is with tears in my eyes that I say she is innocent and guiltless." The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2235534/posts#comment Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:40:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2233700/posts When the game of Chatrang arrived in Sassanid Persia from India, it quickly developed into what became present-day chess. Not only did the Persian exclamations “Shah!” and “Shah Mat” (”check!” and “check mate!”) enter the chess lexicon but, most important, the game became part and parcel of the education of nobility at the Persian court. Chess is deeply ingrained in Iranian culture — certainly also in how Iran plays diplomacy with the world. Commentary Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2233700/posts#comment Mon, 20 Apr 2009 21:01:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2233200/posts <p>CNN) -- Passengers were reportedly taken hostage on a charter flight at a Jamaican airport.</p> <p>They were boarding the CanJet flight from Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay to Halifax, Canada, late Sunday when the security breach occurred, said Elizabeth Scotton, a spokeswoman for the company that manages the airport.</p> CNN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2233200/posts#comment Mon, 20 Apr 2009 06:03:59 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2228238/posts The crew of the Maersk Alabama spoke with the media after news broke that Captain Richard Phillips had been rescued from the Somali pirates that attempted to overtake the cargo ship. From aboard the Maersk Alabama, the crew answered questions and issued details on what went down between the crew and the pirates. "We want to clarify something right now," Second-In-Command Shane Murphy said. "We never lose control of this ship. We never took it back from them. They never had this ship. They had Captain Phillips, but they never had this ship. This is our ship." "We've been under... NECN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2228238/posts#comment Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:36:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2227694/posts WASHINGTON, April 12, 2009 – The captain of the Maersk-Alabama cargo ship held hostage by pirates off the coast of Somalia was in “imminent danger” when U.S. military snipers shot and killed his three pirate captors, a U.S. Navy commander said today. Navy Vice Adm. William E. Gortney, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, provided preliminary details of the rescue mission that freed Capt. Richard Phillips today during a news conference. Off the Somali coast, U.S. special operations snipers held positions at the rear of the USS Bainbridge, which was towing an 18-foot lifeboat that held Phillips and three... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2227694/posts#comment Sun, 12 Apr 2009 22:50:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2227206/posts Reports indicate that pirates holding American Cargo Ship Captain Richard Phillips hostage, fired on sailors from the USS Bainbridge who had approached the pirates' lifeboat in a small vessel attempting to communicate with them. Having been fired on, the sailors reportedly retreated back to the Bainbridge, not wanting to cause harm to Captain Phillips. This standoff is now in it's fourth day. The pirates are demanding $2 million ransom and safe passage in exchange for Phillips. . . . . . (Watch Video) Freedom's Lighthouse http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2227206/posts#comment Sat, 11 Apr 2009 22:55:13 GMT