Posted on 06/15/2004 2:23:10 PM PDT by johnfrink
Al Qaeda gunmen posted a videotape online Tuesday showing a man who identified himself as Paul Johnson, an American Lockheed Martin employee missing since Saturday. The gunmen threatened to kill the man within 72 hours unless their demands are met. The man in the videotape identified himself as Johnson and said he works on Apache helicopters. He was shown from the front and the side, and his shirt was torn to expose a tattoo on his left shoulder. What appeared to be a bandage was on his head, and when shown from the side, there also appeared to be a bandage around his neck. A masked man armed with an automatic weapon also spoke on the video, identifying himself as Abdul Aziz al-Muqrin, the self-proclaimed military leader of al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia. His identity has not been independently verified. The masked man demanded that Saudi Arabia free al Qaeda prisoners it was holding and that Westerners leave the Arabian peninsula. If the demands weren't met within 72 hours, Johnson will be killed, the militant said. The militant also claimed that at the time of Johnson's kidnapping, one of the victim's colleagues was killed. On Saturday, when Johnson went missing in Riyadh, another American, Kenneth Scroggs, was found murdered. Lockheed spokesman Tom Jurkowsky said officials at the company had not seen the videotape. When informed that Johnson appears to be alive, Jurkowsky called it encouraging, but he also said the company remains extremely concerned for his safety.
(Excerpt) Read more at cnn.com ...
I felt the pit of my stomach drop out when I heard his voice broadcast on WABC. I'm praying for him, but I fear the worst. This shows you what kind of soulless, evil scum we're dealing with over there.
No doubt Ted Kennedy was overjoyed at the news of this man's abduction.
May The Lord have mercy on Paul Johnson. And may He visit justice upon his tormentors.
Frankly, I would not trust those scoundrels any further than I could throw them
This is true, but oil is fungible; any disruption in the supply will affect the price in all areas. A serious disruption could have a devastating effect on the world economy. This is probably the most significant threat Al Qaeda poses. It is much easer for them to disrupt world oil supplies than to blow something up.
Yes, you are right. I suspect the solution to all this is energy independence.
The President spoke of moving to a hydrogen based energy economy. I say the sooner the better. Hydrogen based fuels would free us of Saudi dependence, reduce of trade deficit & spur the growth of a domestic industry.
Long term yes – although I think it will take actual market forces to bring this about – I am not sure what our options in the short term are.
Those bastards ... I pray this man is found in time.
They are so evil ... pray for this brave man.
Prayer bump.
Working with Putin to develop Russia's petroleum reserves is be a good option. They are a natural ally, insofar as they are also fighting Islamic fanaticism. Doing this would secure Russia as a Western ally (which Russia is by dint of geography, religion and culture).
The last time this crap was allowed to go on was when Jimmy Critter was POTUS.
Time to crank up the B-52's or call it a day and surrender.
Paul Johnson alive or Mecca irradiated.
Your choice, Islamofascist bastards.
And really so are any Americans still working or living over there. Is the money they hope to get really worth their lives?
I think it really takes a different kind of person who is willing to live there to begin with. Yes,the compounds are easier to live in than your average Saudi city but just the fact that you have to leave the U.S. and follow laws and customs of another country and a strict Islamic one at that. It's not for everyone. Your income is not taxed like in the U.S. In some cases you are given a home to live in rent free, plus other perks like free airplane tickets for vacations, etc. You can retire at a younger age. I can see where some people are enticed by the opportunity.
Will someone get off their butt and bomb Iran! This is the hive for this scum.
LOL.... yeah.. wonder what they'd say if we took our a couple of square blocks (just to prove we can and will) and promised to level the whole city if they didn't return the guy?
Not as long as the terrorism continues to be "over there".
I say start killing them all, we'll get to the right one eventually.
Seems to me a techie could trace the source of that video on the net. That would be a start toward finding him.
Also, I can hardly believe it because the news media never do this, but an Associated Press article included a link to the militant Islamic website this video was posted on.
Here's the article: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/saudi_hostage
Here's the link to the terrorist's site: http://www.hostinganime.com/sout18/
Can't someone tech savvy hack that site and bring it down?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.