Media
Johnston captors issue new death threat
Published Wednesday, Jun 27 2007, 09:17 BST | By James Welsh
The Army of Islam has issued a second threat against the life of BBC Gaza correspondent Alan Johnston.
Late last night the group emailed reporters with a new set of demands with a warning that Johnston would be "slaughtered like a sheep" if they were not met.
The message added a demand for the release of Abu Mohammed al-Maqdisi from a Jordanian prison. Al-Maqdisi was a spiritual guide to Al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed last year by a coalition airstrike. The group has already called for the release of other Al Qaeda-affiliated prisoners in Jordan.
The group also said that the alleged capture of two of its members by Hamas amounted to a "declaration of war".
On Monday, Johnston's captors released a video of him in which they claimed he was wearing an explosives belt.
"We reject the continued captivity of Alan and we are still working to release him at the soonest possible opportunity," a spokesperson for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said after the email was circulated.
Late last night the group emailed reporters with a new set of demands with a warning that Johnston would be "slaughtered like a sheep" if they were not met.
The message added a demand for the release of Abu Mohammed al-Maqdisi from a Jordanian prison. Al-Maqdisi was a spiritual guide to Al Qaeda leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed last year by a coalition airstrike. The group has already called for the release of other Al Qaeda-affiliated prisoners in Jordan.
The group also said that the alleged capture of two of its members by Hamas amounted to a "declaration of war".
On Monday, Johnston's captors released a video of him in which they claimed he was wearing an explosives belt.
"We reject the continued captivity of Alan and we are still working to release him at the soonest possible opportunity," a spokesperson for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said after the email was circulated.
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