Italian Hostages Under Murder Threat

http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=33879

Italian Hostages Under Murder Threat
Politics: 26 April 2004, Monday.

Apparent kidnappers have vowed to kill three Italian hostages in Arab TV footage.

A videotape aired by news broadcaster Al Arabiya showed the militants, calling itself the Green Brigades, who claimed the hostages' release in five days if the Italian people protest against their military presence in Iraq.

Thousands of Italians took to the streets across the country on Sunday, celebrating the Liberation Day and urging the government to withdraw Italian forces from Iraq. The country has deployed nearly 3,000 soldiers in the Arab country.

<snip>

(my post was locked as a dupe to this one)

http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/04/26/iraq.italian/

CNN) -- A militant group has threatened to kill three Italian hostages unless their countrymen demonstrate against the presence of Italian troops in Iraq, according to a video aired on an Arabic news channel.

Al-Arabiya said a group calling itself the Green Brigade released the video of three men sitting around a table eating. It said these are the remaining three Italian hostages. A fourth hostage, taken with the others on April 12, was executed.

In a written statement the group released with the tape, it demanded Italian citizens organize demonstrations against the presence of Italian troops in Iraq.

The group gave Italians five days to organize the demonstrations. Otherwise, the statement said, the hostages would be killed.

more...

We will never demostrate by any order of any terrorist

I'm going to look for more "news" from a more reliable source on this "Arab TV footage".

I suspect a bit of propaganda here on the part of the coalition. How about you?

On edit add -

So far I can only find this story from the original posted source, CNN and the BBC, all listed as being released 1 hour ago. Interesting also that no source is cited for the story in any of these. Usually you see AFP, AP, etc. cited.

I remain suspicious.

to me also seems propaganda....also because in a moth there'll be election in italy and Mr. berlusconi is very low on surveys.....the kidnapping also was quite strange....first news was on aprli 4......than all changed in april 16....the request about protesting also seems absurd to me....really...hope U find some more resources....

http://www.news24.com/News24/World/Iraq/0,6119,2-10-1460_1518042,00.html

snip>

Threatened the three hostages with death

Al-Arabiya said it received a letter from an Iraqi armed group calling itself the "Green Brigade".

The letter threatened that the three hostages would be executed unless the Italian people organised demonstrations against the occupation in Iraq.

snip>

Italian satellite channel Sky TG 24 aired a snippet of the video in which one of the hostages, Salvatore Stefio, can be heard speaking in Italian.

Also demanded an apology

Stefio said: "`And every request to improve our stay with them is" before his words were drowned out by the sound of an Arabic speaker.

/snip>

Here's the first report being picked up by AFP, the ones I posted previously cited "correspondent in Rome"

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/81958/1/.html

Reads pretty much the same as the others


Lot's more are picking it up from AP and AFP now.

the objective of this is to undermine freedom of speech and the
right to dissent, ultimately destroying democracy.
I have a strong suspicion that those behind this sit in air-conditioned offices far away
from Baghdad...