Business

AP / DIAA HADID, Associat · Guest

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) -- An al-Qaida-linked Web site
posted a recording from the purported kidnappers of a BBC
correspondent Wednesday -- along with the reporter's press card -- in
sign of possible involvement by the terrorist network.
Palestinian security officials said they believed the group
claiming to hold Alan Johnston -- the Army of Islam -- may have had
foreign help, but stopped short of naming al-Qaida. It remained
unclear whether the shadowy Palestinian group already has ties with
al-Qaida or was merely trying to attract its support.
Johnston, 44, was kidnapped March 12 in Gaza City by
Palestinian gunmen. He has not been heard from since, and the
recording was the first public statement from a group claiming to be
holding him.
The fiery, 20-minute recording from the Army of Islam
demanded that the British government "release our prisoners and
particularly Sheik Abu Qatada, the Palestinian" in exchange for
Johnston. Abu Qatada, a Jordanian of Palestinian origin, is accused
of terrorist links and is awaiting deportation to Jordan from
Britain.
A picture of Johnston's BBC press card accompanied the
recording -- the strongest evidence yet that the group is holding the
journalist.
The message did not include any signs of life from Johnston,
nor did it mention Israel or its occupation of Palestinian
territories.
"We will not sit idly watching our Muslim brothers being
tortured with the worse torture inside the infidels' prisons. Thus
we have managed to take the Briton Alan Johnston as a prisoner," a
voice in the recording said.
The recording has generated some optimism that Johnston is
still alive.
"We profoundly hope that today's news may be a sign that
Alan will soon be safely released," said the BBC's deputy director
general, Mark Byford.
A spokeswoman for the British Foreign Office said the
government wanted to review the tape before commenting on it.
"A video such as this is very distressing to Alan's family,
friends and colleagues. We are of course in constant contact with
his family and the BBC. We are looking into this as a matter of
urgency, in particular we are continuing to work closely with the
Palestinian Authority in order to establish the facts and to try and
secure Alan's safe release," the spokeswoman said on condition of
anonymity in line with government policy.
The recording was posted on a Web site often used by
al-Qaida and its Iraqi branch to post messages. Palestinian
militants rarely use the site.
The Army of Islam also claims it participated in capturing
Israeli soldier Cpl. Gilad Shalit in a June 2006 cross-border raid.
The group is headed by a powerful Gaza clan, the Doghmushes, widely
believed responsible for several kidnappings of foreigners in Gaza.
Up to now the clan's activities have been described by Palestinian
officials as largely criminal.
The recording showed clear al-Qaida elements: its posting on
a Web site, its demands for the release of other suspected al-Qaida
militants, and its threats to kidnap more infidels -- a byword for
non-Muslims and Westerners.
One Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity
because of the sensitivity of the matter, said he believes the
recording is a sign that the kidnappers have al-Qaida contacts.
However, other Palestinian officials believed the group was using
the tape to market itself to potential al-Qaida funders and raise
its profile among Muslim extremists.
Islamic extremism has taken root in Gaza, though the extent
of al-Qaida's presence is unclear.
This week, members of a fundamentalist Islamic group lobbed
a bomb that killed a man during a fight with security men at a U.N.
school in Gaza. They were protesting a school festival that included
traditional Palestinian dancing.
A previously unknown group, the "Swords of Islam," has
bombed Internet cafes and other outlets it complained were turning
youths away from prayer and fighting Israel.
The Gaza Strip's established militant Muslim group, Hamas,
has condemned the violence but has said it is unable to stop it.
The poverty that helps lead to extremism has been
exacerbated by an international aid boycott imposed on March 2006,
when a Hamas-led government took office following its parliamentary
election victory.
The embargo was imposed after Hamas rejected international
demands to recognize Israel, renounce violence and accept past peace
accords.
------
Associated Press writer Omar Sinan contributed to this
report from Cairo, Egypt.