Palestinian group claims murder of BBC reporter
Sunday, April 15, 2007
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According to Israeli media reports, a Palestinian group, purportedly linked to al-Qaeda has announced they have killed Alan Johnston, a BBC journalist who went missing in Gaza five weeks ago.
The pronouncement came in the form of an e-mail to the media on Sunday. "We are deeply concerned about what we are hearing, but we stress at this stage, it is rumor with no independent verification," said the BBC.
The Palestinian Jihad and Tawheed Brigades said that it will release a video of the killing, and blamed the killing on the British and Palestinian governments for not heeding its demands to release prisoners detained in Israel.
However, Palestinian interior ministry sources have disputed the claims. "I have been in contact with all the security chiefs since I heard the information. There is no information to confirm the killing of the journalist Johnston," said Hani al-Qawasmi, Palestinian Interior Minister. "At the Interior Ministry we have not received any demands of any kind, whether for ransom or anything else. No party has said it is holding the journalist," said Qawasmi.
Sources
edit- Nidal al-Mughrabi. "BBC "concerned" by claim Gaza correspondent killed" — Reuters, April 15, 2007
- "BBC's concern at Gaza man's fate" — BBC News Online, April 15, 2007
- Yaakov Lappin and Joseph Nasr. "'We killed BBC reporter', Palestinian group says" — Ynetnews, April 15, 2007
- "Group claims it executed BBC reporter Johnston" — The Jerusalem Post, April 15, 2007
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