Journalists' kidnappers demand release of Muslims in US

A previously unheard of Palestinian group, the Holy Jihad Brigades, today claimed it had kidnapped two Fox News journalists and set a 72-hour deadline to swap them for Muslim prisoners held in US jails.

Footage from the Palestinian news agency Ramattan, which has not yet been broadcast, would be the first sign of American correspondent Steve Centanni, 60, and cameraman Olaf Wiig, 36, of New Zealand since they were kidnapped on August 14 from their TV van near the Palestinian security services headquarters in Gaza City.

Although Palestinian militant groups have often seized foreigners, including members of the media, this is the longest any have been held.

Ramattan said the men were safe and that the Holy Jihad Brigades had demanded that Muslim prisoners in US jails be released within three days in exchange for Centanni and Wiig. The group did not say what would happen if the deadline passed unanswered, Ramattan reported.

Centanni and Wiig were sitting on the floor in the footage obtained by Ramattan, the agency said.

The journalists said they were in good hands and appealed to their governments to respond to the kidnappers’ demands, Ramattan said.

Past Gaza kidnappings – more than two dozen foreigners have been snatched in the past two years – follow a clear pattern.

Militants boast of their success within hours, followed by demands for jobs or freedom for jailed relatives, then brief negotiations and finally the release of those abducted, often the same day.

Abductees routinely bear tales of being served tea and robust meals of rice and meat, passing the time watching TV or chatting with their captors.

But this kidnapping has not followed that pattern. Until today, no group had claimed responsibility for the seizure, and the whereabouts of the Fox News journalists remained a mystery despite emotional appeals from family members.

Palestinian government officials, including Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, have called for the release of Centanni and Wiig.