Hostage faces 48-hour deadline

The Iraqi kidnappers of an Egyptian truck driver said they would kill the hostage unless his Saudi employers leave the country in 48 hours, Arab television station Al-Jazeera said.

The station received a written statement from the Iraqi Legitimate Resistance group giving Saudi company Al-Jarie Transport 48 hours to leave Iraq, an editor for the broadcaster said on condition of anonymity late yesterday.

The group threatened to kill Alsayeid Mohammed Alsayeid Algarabawi, 42, if the company did not comply with the demands.

The group has said it kidnapped Algarabawi last week from a fuel truck he was driving from Saudi Arabia to the US military in Iraq.

Al-Jazeera earlier aired a videotape released by the group showing Algarabawi kneeling and holding his passport in front a group of armed militants.

Faisal al-Naheet, whose company is a subcontractor for Al-Jarie Transport, told Al-Jazeera Wednesday that Al-Jarie ”will stop our work in Iraq in order to save the life of the hostage who works for us as a driver”.

It was unclear if al-Naheet meant the company was about to leave Iraq or was awaiting developments in the hostage’s case before withdrawing.

Al-Jarie owner Hazzam al-Qahtani told the said yesterday that al-Naheet was a subcontractor, but refused further comment. Al-Jazeera had identified al-Naheet as the owner.

Al-Naheet said the kidnappers also were demanding a $1m (€809,000) ransom, but he said the company would not pay.

Last month, another Egyptian driver, Victor Tawfiq Gerges, was released after being held hostage by a militant group in Iraq for more than two weeks.