Man shouting "Save Me!" enters UN compound in Iraq

Associated Press | January 25, 2005

[HAL9000]

(Baghdad, Iraq-AP) -- An unidentified man shouting "Save Me!'' has entered the compound of U-N weapons inspectors in Baghdad.

Journalists outside the compound say a man in his 20s climbed into an inspectors' vehicle as it was about to leave from the site.

He was shouting in Arabic.

The man was taken into the compound, a hotel where more than 100 inspectors and other U-N staffers have their offices.

There's been no comment from the U-N and no explanation of the incident.

Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

[cake_crumb]

"Another person jumped into one of the inspectors' cars as it was leaving the headquarters and tried to seize documents before Iraqi guards seized him"

Ah....a bit of street theater for the Useful Numbnuts inspectors. I guess this means both Iraqis are safely in the hands of the Iraqis. Way to go, UN.

[cake_crumb]

"I'm totally confused now, but according to this latest AP report, the inspectors still have the guy with the notebook."

That's a relief, since the article says the inspectors tried to hand him over to Iraqi guards but he refused to leave the vehicle...I din't catch that part until after I read the article a second time...they tried to GIVE HIM BACK TO THE IRAQIS. Maybe they tried to give him to the Iraqis a second time and succeeded but ir wasn't reported by the media.

If it weren't for the fact that we're talking about the UN here, I'd say such stupidity was unbelievable.

[FairOpinion]

"The UN has a chance to save a young man from a murderous dictator and what do they do? They hand him over to a almost-certain death."

-----
You are right. It's shameful. In a newsday.com article it even said: "Such U.N. compounds traditionally provide diplomatic protection to people seeking asylum.". Despite this, they UN inspectors handed him over to Iraqi "security men".
"Appearing agitated and frightened, the young man, with a closely trimmed beard and mustache, sat inside the white U.N.-marked utility vehicle for 10 minutes. At first, an inspection team leader sought help from nearby Iraqi soldiers, but the man refused to leave the vehicle as the uniformed men pulled on his sleeve and collar. "

The blood of that man is on the heads of the UN inspectors, as much as it is on Saddam's.

[cake_crumb]

Wait a minute...now I'M confused... "Another person jumped into one of the inspectors' cars as it was leaving the headquarters and tried to seize documents before Iraqi guards seized him."

And the article you posted in your reply #24 says

"The first two vehicles swerved around him, but the third stopped, the witnesses said. 'Save me!' he shouted in Arabic and English, after which he was allowed to enter the vehicle. He was carrying a notebook, witnesses said."

So he was either trying to steal papers or was trying to GIVE papers in exchange for protection.

I thought I read the same article twice and misunderstood it the first time around....

I hate the media.

[cake_crumb]

"I notice the number of knives have increased. I wonder if the first man was sent to await and assassinate the second?"

Darned good question...the details are confusing, but it SEEMS as if the guy with the knives was hunting the one who jumped into the vehicle.

[FairOpinion]

U.N. security men then arrived and took him inside the fenced compound, the journalists said.
---

THEN they did turn him over to the Iraqis:

"Then U.N. security men arrived, and they and Iraqi police carried the man by his feet and arms into the fenced compound, the journalists said. Ueki said the man was turned over to Iraqi authorities at a government office adjacent to the compound. The spokesman said the man's notebook was empty, but he had no further comment on his identity or purpose." (newsday.com)

[Paul Ross]

We do, though, have a smoking gun here. The fact that the inspectors turned over an unarmed defector to the Baathists proves that they do not want to determine the truth, but rather to cover-up for Saddam's defenders.

Absolutely. This is very troubling if the AP report is true. We just have to be wary of anything THEY report however. If true, however, GWB should reference this incident right away when talking about the Blix debacle.

[F.J. Mitchell]

The poor guy was Elianed-damn! is Reno in charge of those UN inspectors?

[woofie]

Lets trade this guy for Clooney

[mewzilla]

If I read the crawls on FOX today correctly, they UN crew has done this with 2 men so far. There's another would-be escapee who hopped into a UN vehicle as it was pulling away and it looks like they handed that guy back to the Iraqis, too. If I read this wrong, someone please correct me. You can go blind trying to keep up with those dang crawls.

[xm177e2]

He's dead, Jim.

If he's lucky...

[Maigret]

A guy comes up yelling "save me" and then tries to seize documents in a car already surrounded by Iraqi guards...

In viewing it on FOX news just now he was clasping some documents and it was reported he may have been an Iraqi scientist. If this is true, you can bet he is dead by now and all his family rounded up. This is how the UN 'helps' people! Those inspectors should have held on to this guy like grim death, he probably risked and lost his life to try and communicate with these yahoos!

You think any other willing scientist is gonna step forward now? That man's face is gonna haunt me a long time.

[cake_crumb]

"Ueki said the man was turned over to Iraqi authorities at a government office adjacent to the compound, but the spokesman had no further comment on the man's identity or purpose"

Oh my good Lord. If the man was genuinely seeking aylum...he's dead. Thanks Hanz.

[keats5]

What I nopticed on FOX is the man seated next to this Iraqi in the UN car. You couldn't see anything but the UN guy's lame hands sitting in his lap. He literallly wouldn't lift a fingetr to help this completely desparate man.


Where's the outrage? Even FOX doesn't decry how this was handled!

[keats5]

bttt

[Colorado Doug]

It's a good thing Quadafi is on the job. I'm sure that he will be there to safeguard any human rights at risk.

[knak]

This is from Arab News.

In the morning, a young Iraqi man, carrying files, grabbed the wheel of a UN vehicle, shouting to weapons inspectors “please save me, please save me”. The man refused to surrender to Iraqi guards outside the UN premises at the former Canal Hotel, but a UN security officer managed to get him out of the vehicle and handed him over to Iraqi soldiers.

I can't beleive they just let this one go.

[knak]

The man who entered the U.N. vehicle complained that he had been 'unfairly treated.'

[FairOpinion]

"A guy comes up yelling "save me" and then tries to seize documents in a car already surrounded by Iraqi guards..."

"In viewing it on FOX news just now he was clasping some documents and it was reported he may have been an Iraqi scientist."
-----

Most news sources I saw reported that he had with him some documents, NOT that he was trying to seize any from the UN.

[FairOpinion]

I am glad someone took this picture, and thanks for posting it. The desperation and agitation are written on the poor Iraqi guy's face and the photo also shows he is hugging some documents.

What is utterly disgusting is the way the UN inspector just sits there, totally uninterested and not even paying attention, after all, the Iraqi guy may have had a smoking gun, that the UN inspectors are very careful not to want to discover.