Posted on 08/27/2006 4:17:16 PM PDT by jdm
Two Fox News journalists freed by militants Sunday described a harrowing two weeks of captivity during which they were blindfolded, tied in painful positions and forced at gunpoint to say on a video that they converted to Islam.
After their release, the men met with Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and left Gaza, but first appealed at a brief news conference for foreign journalists not to be deterred from covering the plight of the Palestinians in the volatile coastal strip.
"I hope that this never scares a single journalist away from coming to Gaza to cover the story because the Palestinian people are very beautiful and kindhearted," said Steve Centanni, a 60-year-old American reporter who was released along with cameraman Olaf Wiig, 36, of New Zealand. "The world needs to know more about them."
In a phone call with Fox News, Centanni said they were abducted Aug. 14 by four masked gunmen on a side street in Gaza City. He said the assailants covered his head with a black hood, and crammed him and Wiig into a small car.
Their possessions were taken, and their wrists were bound behind their backs. "I still have some sore wrists," he said. "It was digging into my wrists really badly."
In captivity, Centanni said, he was laid face down in a dark garage and tied up in painful positions.
"If we tried to get up and sit up, which I did do a few times, they would eventually just force us back down with something stuck to my head," he said. "I don't know if it was a stick, a flashlight or a gun or what. We couldn't see. We were forced to lay face down again in the dirt with blindfolds on."
Before their release, a video was released showing Wiig and Centanni dressed in beige Arab-style robes. Wiig delivered an anti-Western speech, his face expressionless and his tone halting. The kidnappers claimed both men had converted to Islam.
"We were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint," Centanni told Fox. "Don't get me wrong here. I have the highest respect for Islam, and I learned a lot of good things about it, but it was something we felt we had to do because they had the guns, and we didn't know what the hell was going on."
Wiig, who has covered some of the world's most dangerous conflicts, including Afghanistan and Iraq, said at the news conference that he also was worried the kidnapping might scare reporters away from Gaza.
"My biggest concern really is that as a result of what happened to us, foreign journalists will be discouraged from coming to tell the story and that would be a great tragedy for the people of Palestine," Wiig said. "You guys need us on the streets, and you need people to be aware of the story."
The release of Centanni and Wiig ended Gaza's longest crisis involving foreign hostages, but left unclear who was behind the kidnapping and what led them to free their captives. Palestinian militants have seized more than two dozen foreigners the past two years, usually to settle personal scores, and generally released their captives unharmed within hours.
The journalists were seized by a previously unknown group calling itself the Holy Jihad Brigades. The group's call for the release of Muslim prisoners held by the U.S. had raised concerns that foreign extremists, perhaps al-Qaida, had infiltrated Gaza.
But Palestinian security officials said the name was a front for local militants. They said the kidnappers - whom they would not identify - were tracked down through third parties, but did not say whether a deal was struck with the militants for the journalists' release.
Interior Minister Said Siyam said he did not expect other foreign journalists in Gaza to face the same ordeal. "In principle, there is a promise that this will not be repeated," he said, declining to elaborate.
The two journalists headed to Israel and were spending the night at the U.S. consulate in Jerusalem.
Roger Ailes, Fox News' chairman and chief executive, thanked "governments and individuals throughout the world" who helped free the men, and the journalism community for offering support.
"The entire international community is beginning to realize that journalists should never be hostages or pawns in world events. Their job is to tell the story of the world as it unfolds," Ailes said.
White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said President Bush was "pleased the journalists were released and will soon be reunited with their entire families and loved ones."
In New Zealand, Wiig's father, Roger Wiig, said his son apologized for worrying everyone. "His first comment was that he was sorry he had put us through that."
Centanni's brother, Ken Centanni of San Jose, Calif., expressed joy about the release, describing his phone conversation with his brother as "the best phone call I've ever had."
He said his brother sounded tired and a bit shaky but also sounded excited to be released. "He was emotional and happy."
I have read through this thread and I think your post makes a lot of sense. We have not been through what these guys experienced the last 2 weeks.
It is clear that the radical Islamists or in this case, Palestinian radicals, are out of control. I tried to put myself in these journalists' place and think of the hours and hours I'm wondering if some Zarqawi wannabe is going to come in at any given moment and want to saw my head off like they did to another journalist Daniel Pearl, and other westerners.
Ahh, yes ... those very beautiful and kindhearted Palestinian people who were dancing in the street after the attacks of 9/11. I remember them well.
In this case, it's "Oslo Syndrome."
I just went over to DU and am surprised that 90% of them have only kind words about Centanni and Wigg. Although there are a couple of them who say FOX stagged the whole thing to make people hate Islam even more.
I have been in a similar enough situation to have some inkling of what they went through.
Once the danger has passed and you are free you must do everything you can to expose the truth regards those who threatened you!
Failing to speak up, and to expose the tyrants as fully as possible, serves to support the tyrants.
In my case they were only crooked cops, once free of their direct ability to do me immediate harm I filed formal complaints against them.
They now leave me alone, as they know that I have exposed their criminal activities to "Internal Affairs", lawyers, judges, friends, and political candidates.
They are not under arrest as they should be (yet?) but their ability to continue acting as rampaging thugs has been significantly reduced.
These reporters need to slam the thugs who took them in the strongest possible terms, it would probably help them sleep better.
Islam?... (Eddie Murphy laugh)....
"The syndrome is named after the Norrmalmstorg robbery of Kreditbanken at Norrmalmstorg, Stockholm, Sweden in which the bank robbers held bank employees hostage from August 23 to August 28, 1973."
"In this case, the victims became emotionally attached to their victimizers, and even defended their captors after they were freed from their six-day ordeal."
"An offshoot of the Stockholm syndrome is the aptly-used term capture-bonding defined as a bond that in some instances develops between captor and captive."
"The term is modeled on the Swedish woman who became so attached to one of the bank robbers who held her hostage that she broke her engagement to her former lover and remained bonded, or in bondage, to her former captor while he served time in prison."
"I'm just glad they're safe."
Amen to that -- we watch Steve every day so we feel like we know him.
Random note -- does anyone here think Centanni works for the CIA or something? He has always seemed a little to smart and sharp looking to be a journalist.
Just my two cents.
"Well, I have the highest respect for rabid animals and a good thing I know about them is that they are better off dead before they hurt me or my family."
Wicked smart response!
Nope, there are a few of us here, who share your viewpoint.
Reason!
"Neutrality in two world wars!??! They don't know what war is or has experienced it. Just playing passive onlookers on the "evil" world!!!
It should be interesting if they do recant. According to Islamic law the penalty for renouncing Islam is death.
Ah, the standard Islamic Catechetical program, I see...
There's only one story. The "Palestinians" are the pawns of terrorists.
I'm begining to wonder about these guys? They sound a little to pro pali to me.
"My biggest concern really is that as a result of what happened to us, foreign journalists will be discouraged from coming to tell the story and that would be a great tragedy for the people of Palestine," Wiig said.
"We were forced to convert to Islam at gunpoint," Centanni told Fox. "Don't get me wrong here. I have the highest respect for Islam, and I learned a lot of good things about it, but it was something we felt we had to do because they had the guns, and we didn't know what the hell was going on."
They get kidnapped at gunpoint, treated like dirt, and say this?
Maybe they should have be returned to the palis.
????????. Fox aired the whole phone conversation late last night. I didn't hear Centanni denounce the conversion.
Forced to convert, hummmm, does this mean he considers himself converted? A reporter knows how to put words together. He could have said they were put through conversion rites by force. He didn't need to sing the praises of the Palestinians who voted Hamas into power.
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