Kidnapped Fox News journalists freed

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060827/ap_on_re_mi_ea/gaza_journalists

By IBRAHIM BARZAK, Associated Press Writer




GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Two Fox News journalists were released Sunday, nearly two weeks after being seized by militants, ending the longest-running drama involving foreign hostages in the Gaza Strip.



Cameraman Olaf Wiig, 36, and correspondent Steve Centanni, 60, were dropped off at Gaza City's Beach Hotel by Palestinian security officials. A tearful Centanni briefly embraced a Palestinian journalist in the lobby, then rushed upstairs. Wiig walked into the lobby behind Centanni, briefly turned when someone pulled him by the arm and shouted "get off" before heading upstairs.

(snip)

Several hours later, the two men were dropped off at Gaza City's Beach Hotel, wearing Western-style clothing. Their captors had demanded the release of all Muslims imprisoned by the U.S. by midnight Saturday in exchange for freeing the journalists. It was not immediately clear whether the kidnappers received anything in return for freeing the journalists.

In the past two years, Palestinian militants have seized more than two dozen foreigners, usually to settle personal scores, but released them unharmed within hours. The holding of the Fox journalists had been the longest.

The proud, the few, the entertained :shrug:

the whole thing. My feeling is that it was about money or propaganda in some way.

if our press has anything to do with anything I automatically don't believe it. We don't have a free and open press anymore and until we fix that little detail we can't have a democracy.

Is how Fox kept relatively quiet about it.

Even Hannity was almost forced to say something about it in response to a flood of emails. And even then, it was a weak few minutes of "let's pray for them".

You'd think it would start a firestorm of round the clock "Islamofascist" coverage, with tearful interviews with friends and family. But no.

Yup, something definitely fishy about this.