Al Jazeera denies reporting Japan hostages free

Reuters ^ | Sun 11 April, 2004

[yonif]

DUBAI (Reuters) - The Arabic television station Al Jazeera has denied a Japanese news agency report which quoted it as saying that three Japanese hostages held in Iraq had been released.

"We did not issue such a report," an Al Jazeera official told Reuters, referring to a report by Jiji news agency.

Japanese TV earlier said the three Japanese civilians kidnapped in Iraq were safe near the Iraqi town of Falluja, but government officials could not confirm the report and it was unclear when they would be released.

Al Jazeera said on Saturday that Iraqi militants holding the hostages would free them in response to a call from the Muslim Clerics Association in Iraq.

The Iraqi group had originally threatened to "burn them alive" unless Tokyo pulled out its troops from Iraq within three days.

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, facing the toughest test of his political career, vowed not to give in to their demands.

Japan has about 550 troops in the southern Iraq city of Samawa, where they are involved in reconstruction and humanitarian work, the Japanese army's riskiest and most controversial overseas deployment since World War Two.

[redheadtoo]

The English language version of Al Jezeera reports that the Japanese hostages are to be released in 24 hours. This is great news if true. I am very pleased with the Japanese government and the Japanese people for being so steadfast. They have shown themselves to be truer allies than some of our more traditional European allies.

I don't know why the terrorists have changed their minds. But I guess it has to do with the fact that the three hostages all seem to be far out lefties. Maybe this little incident will have a profound improvement on their thinking.

[river rat]

Hmmmm.
Reuters makes NO MENTION of the rumor that the woman hostage may have played a role in STAGING her "capture"..

Reports have been released that she was a leftist in contact/cooperation with the lunatics in an attempt to have Japan withdraw their forces...

I've read the folks in Japan are none to happy to hear these reports and are DEMANDING she apologize...

Semper Fi

[A CA Guy]

Aren't there techies on our side that can close them down?

[4everontheRight]

Do people in Japan who "stage" situations get great book deals like the ones in America do? I wonder how their culture will handle these "hostages" once they are back on their soil.