[Media-watch] FW: Re: UK journalist kidnapped in Basra

[David Miller]

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Date: Fri, 13 Aug 2004 09:46:59 +0100 (BST)
To: david.miller at stir.ac.uk
Subject:  Re: UK journalist kidnapped in Basra

UK journalist kidnapped in Basra
 
A British journalist has been abducted from his hotel in the city of Basra.

James Brandon, a freelance reporter for the Sunday Telegraph, was kidnapped
after 30 masked gunman stormed into his hotel at 2300 (1900GMT) on Thursday.

Hours later a video tape was released showing a hooded militant standing
next to a barechested Mr Brandon, threatening to kill him.

Iraqi militants have been waging a kidnapping campaign against westerners in
recent months. 

The gunman said Mr Brandon would be killed if US forces did not pull out
from the Shia holy city of Najaf in 24 hours.

"We demand the American forces withdraw from Najaf within 24 hours or we
will kill this British hostage," the militant is reportedly heard saying.

"I'm a journalist, I just write about what is happening in Iraq... [I'm]
James Brandon from the Sunday Telegraph," Mr Brandon reportedly says to the
camera. 

'Two shots' 

A hotel employee said the gunmen burst into the hotel and demanded the
receptionist show them the guest book, according to the AFP news agency.

"One of them then said 'how dare you have foreigners in your hotel' and then
they stormed upstairs," the employee reportedly said.

"We then heard two shots and minutes later they were dragging the British
journalist down and he was bleeding."

The British Foreign Office said it had unconfirmed reports that a British
national had been kidnapped in Basra.

A spokesman said: "We're trying to establish the facts and are working with
the local authorities and trying to contact the next of kin."

Security precautions

Sunday Telegraph Deputy Editor Matthew d'Ancona said Mr Brandon was in Basra
filing material for this Sunday's newspaper amongst other projects.

He said: "We are pursuing his situation with the greatest concern."

Colin Freeman, a British journalist who recently returned from Iraq, shared
the same hotel as Mr Brandon in the Iraqi capital Baghdad over the past
year. 

Mr Freeman was himself shot and injured while covering a demonstration in
Basra in May. 

James has lived in Iraq for a long time now and knows what to do in terms of
security 
Colin Freeman
Journalist 
He said Mr Brandon spoke more Arabic than a lot of other British journalists
in the country and was well aware of the risks.

He took the same security precautions as other journalists, said Mr Freeman,
including choosing hotels where he would not stand out.

"If he was travelling to somewhere like Basra he would normally have had a
driver and so on, people who speak fluent Iraqi Arabic and know how to deal
with situations," said Mr Freeman.

"James has lived in Iraq for a long time now and knows what to do in terms
of security. It's been fairly well known how dangerous Basra can be after
what happened to me.

"James would have been well aware of the dangers and that you cannot assume
that Basra is any safer than other parts of Iraq."

Increasing tension 

News of the kidnap came one day after a Shia group, called Abu al-Abbas,
issued a statement threatening to kill all those cooperating with British
troops in retaliation for the US-led assault on Najaf.

The latest kidnapping comes amid increasing tension in Basra.

Two British soldiers have been killed there in the last week in clashes with
forces loyal to cleric Moqtada Sadr.

More than 70 foreigners have been taken hostage in Iraq in recent months.

About 20 are still being held and at least eight hostages have been
executed. 

On Friday morning, it emerged that Mr Sadr had been wounded in fighting in
the Najaf. 





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