Egyptian diplomat held hostage in Iraq: report

[BaysideLiberal]

An armed group has kidnapped an Egyptian diplomat in Iraq, according to a video tape shown on the Al-Jazeera network.

A man identified as Mohammed Mamdouh Hilmi Kotb, a third most senior official at the embassy in Baghdad, was shown on the footage sitting in front of six masked armed men dressed head-to-toe in black.

Mr Kotb was purportedly kidnapped by a group called the Lions of Allah in response to Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif's offer to Iraq of his country's security expertise.

--AFP

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200407/s1160889.htm

[BaysideLiberal]

1. Militant Group Abducts Egyptian Diplomat ..AP source

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Militants in Iraq (news - web sites) took an Egyptian diplomat hostage Friday and demanded his country forsake any plans it had to send security experts here, according to a video broadcast Friday on the Al-Jazeera television station.


The station also showed a separate videotape from another militant group which abducted seven foreign truck drivers, who issued new demands for the company to compensate the families of those killed in battles with U.S. forces in Fallujah. The company was given 48 hours to comply.


Earlier Friday, U.S. forces launched a "precision attack" against a suspected gathering of insurgents outside a house in Fallujah, wounding five civilians, while a roadside bomb killed two American soldiers near Samarra, the U.S. military said.


An Egyptian diplomat in Baghdad, who declined to be identified, confirmed that Mohammed Mamdouh Helmi Qutb was abducted Friday. The diplomat said Qutb was taken while leaving a mosque.


The videotape show Qutb sitting in front of six masked kidnappers. They were clad in black hoods and robes, with white headbands. One was holding an assault rifle and another had a pistol on his hip.


The group, which called itself the "Lions of Allah Brigade," said it abducted Qutb because the Egyptian government said it was prepared to deploy security experts to help the interim government in Iraq.


The video was inaudible, but the Al-Jazeera newscaster paraphrased it. No specific threat against Qutb, who was wearing a pale, open-necked shirt, was mentioned.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&e=2&u=/ap/20040723/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

[Moderator]

2. Duplicate topic

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x705074