Iraq Group Threatens to Kill Journalist

[southernleftylady]

BAGHDAD, Iraq - A militant group calling itself the Martyrs Brigade said it had kidnapped a missing Western journalist and would kill him if U.S. forces did not leave the holy city of Najaf within 48 hours, the pan-Arab television station Al-Jazeera reported Thursday.



Al-Jazeera showed a video released by the group that depicted a man, who resembled missing journalist Micah Garen, kneeling in front of five masked militants, who were armed with rifles and rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

The hostage, who had a mustache, looked down at the ground throughout the video. The authenticity of the tape was not able to be determined.

The sound was not audible, but the announcer said the kidnappers threatened to kill Garen within two days if U.S. forces did not leave Najaf, where they have been fighting with militants linked to firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr for two weeks.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=736&e=3&u=/ap/20040818/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_missing_journalist