Al-Qaida threatens American hostage in Yemen
Print Edition
AL-QAIDA’S branch in Yemen threatened an American hostage who was the target of a rescue attempt by US special forces last month, warning Washington in a video released on Thursday not to try again, and giving it three days to meet unspecified demands.
“My life is in danger,” Luke Somers says in the footage, which appeared to mimic hostage videos released on Thursday by al-Qaida’s rival, the Islamic State group. It was the first word from the 33-year-old photojournalist since he was snatched from the streets of Sanaa more than a year ago. He had been working for nearly three years in the impoverished Arab nation, “living as a normal Yemeni,” friends and colleagues said.
In a video post of their own, Somers’ mother and brother said Somers was “only trying to do good things for the Yemeni population” and pleaded with his captors to spare him. “Luke is only a photojournalist and is not responsible for any actions the US government has taken,” Somers’ brother, Jordan, said in the footage posted on YouTube.
Noting that her son “appears healthy” in his captors’ video, Paula Somers said: “We thank you for that. Please show mercy and give us an opportunity to see our Luke again.”
On Thursday, Pentagon press secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby acknowledged for the first time that a raid last month had sought to rescue Somers but that he turned out not to be at the site.
White House spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan also said President Barack Obama had authorized a rescue operation to free Somers and other hostages but “regrettably, Luke was not present.”
“It’s now been well over a year since I’ve been kidnapped in Sanaa,” Somers says in the footage posted on the al-Qaida offshoot’s Twitter account. “Basically, I’m looking for any help that can get me out of this situation. I’m certain that my life is in danger. So as I sit here now, I ask, if anything can be done, please let it be done. Thank you very much.”
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