Freed BBC Reporter Recounts Ordeal

Alan Johnston Tells Of Harrowing Four Months In Captivity Of Gaza Gunmen

(CBS/AP)  The first night after he was snatched in Gaza nearly four months ago, BBC reporter Alan Johnston feared he was about to die. The kidnappers' masked leader appeared in the doorway, and moments later the prisoner was handcuffed, hooded and taken outside.

But the Palestinian gunmen were just moving him to another hideout, and Johnston settled into a grim captivity, much of which he spent in a dark room, often watched over by a guard who rarely spoke but was prone to flying into rages.

The guards were dangerous — dangerous enough to release a video of Johnston wearing a suicide belt, warning that he’d be killed if anyone tried to rescue him from the hideout deep in the squalor of Gaza, CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer reports.

Until his release before dawn early Wednesday in a murky deal between his kidnappers and Gaza's Hamas rulers, Johnston said he had only one link to the world - a radio that picked up British Broadcasting Corp. reports on the frantic efforts to free its correspondent.

Johnston, who emerged gaunt but smiling, told the BBC he was often unsure if he "was going to live or die," and expressed thanks for all those who worked for his release.

"I'm so immensely grateful for that, and I will be all my life," Johnston said in Jerusalem, addressing a BBC rally in London celebrating his release.

Johnston, a native of Scotland who reported from Gaza for the BBC for three years, was grabbed on a Gaza City street by masked gunmen March 12, shoved into a car and spirited away.

He was the latest in a string of foreigners kidnapped in Gaza, and his time in captivity was by far the longest. Even before it happened, he said, he had often envisioned being kidnapped.

"It was a vaguely surreal experience, as if I'd lived it before, because I'd imagined it so many times. And there I was, before I knew it, on my back in the back seat with a hood over my head," Johnston said at a news conference at Britain's consulate in Jerusalem, where reporters greeted him with applause.

That first night, Johnston said, he feared he was about to die.

At 2 a.m., the gunmen's leader appeared in the doorway, his face concealed by a red-and-white checkered headscarf, and told the journalist he wouldn't be hurt, the reporter recalled.

He wasn't sure whether to believe that. Not long afterward, Johnston said, "They woke me up, and put a hood over my head again, and handcuffed me, and took me out into the night, and of course you really wonder how that might end." But they only moved him to another hideout.

Johnston was held by the Army of Islam - a group inspired by al Qaeda and run by one of Gaza's most notorious and heavily armed crime families, the Doghmush clan.

"The last 16 weeks, of course, were just the very worst you can imagine of my life, like being buried alive, really, removed from the world," Johnston said.

During his captivity, the world saw Johnston only twice, in two videos his captors posted on the Internet. In the first, he condemned Britain, Israel and the U.S. In the second, he was shown wearing an explosive belt that he said would be detonated should anyone try to rescue him.

On Wednesday, Johnston said he was forced to read a prepared script and he didn't know if the belt was real. "To be honest, they hold all the cards in that situation, those guys, and I just decided that nobody takes these kind of videos very seriously."

[lars008-2009]

FASCIST NAZI ISLAM EMPTIES BETHLEHEM OF CHRISTIANS
http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printab
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=36406

'Greedy monsters' ruled church

SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON TIMES
BETHLEHEM, West Bank %u2014 The Palestinian gunmen holed up in the Church of the Nativity and later deported by Israel seized church stockpiles of food and "ate like greedy monsters" until the food ran out, while more than 150 civilians went hungry.
They also guzzled beer, wine and Johnnie Walker scotch that they found in priests' quarters, undeterred by the Islamic ban on drinking alcohol.
Angry Orthodox priests yesterday showed two reporters about 20 empty bottles of whiskey, champagne, vodka, cognac and French wine on a kitchen shelf and on the floor of two rooms.
"They should be ashamed of themselves. They acted like animals, like greedy monsters. Come, I will show you more," said one priest, who declined to give his name.
"Palestinians took candelabra, icons and anything that looked like gold," said a Franciscan, the Rev. Nicholas Marquez from Mexico.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20020515-89391238.htm

[closethippy1]

We have our olive farm nearby Ramallah in the WB. How is it? It's sh'itty, that's how.
We keep quiet because we don't want to get in trouble but no one is happy about what's going on. Every one is in a b'itchy mood but hardly anyone will say why.
Another example of how nothing gets accomplished even when we do what we're told. In a way it's the same old, same old. Learn to expect it and move on.

[radiob-2009]

closethippy1
How is the West Bank? Or are you in Gaza? You never did say where in Israel you were.

[lars008-2009]

it's fascist nazi terrorislam stupid...

FASCIST NAZI ISLAM TO ENSLAVE NON MUSLIM WORLD

HAMAS MICKEY MOUSE SAYS
Islamic rule will benefit Christians and Jews
by Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook - May 14, 2007
The force behind Hamas TV%u2019s controversial Mickey Mouse clone said today that his children%u2019s television program will continue to promote worldwide Islamic supremacy, for everyone's benefit, including Christians and Jews.

In a long interview on Hamas TV, Hazim Al-Sha%u2019arawi, Deputy Director of Al-Aqsa TV and one of the creators of the Hamas children%u2019s TV show Tomorrow%u2019s Pioneers, said that using the program to promote Islamic rule over other religions is actually promoting %u201Cjustice, goodness and world love.%u201D

Al-Aqsa TV and the Palestinian Authority have been under fire since PMW reported last week that Tomorrow%u2019s Pioneers was using a character named Farfur, a knockoff of Disney%u2019s Mickey Mouse character, to convey messages about Islamic supremacy as well as hatred of Jews, Israel and the U.S. Despite public statements by PA Minister of Information Mustafa Barghouti that the show would be taken off the air until it could be reviewed and revised, a new episode of the program %u2013 featuring Al-Sha%u2019arawi as one of the hosts %u2013 ran Friday.
http://pmw.org.il/bulletins_may2007.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S995NCeaUg

[closethippy1]

See how Hamas delivers? See why they're so popular with Palestinians? Now, why couldn't Abbas free this man while his people were in charged of security? Is it because they couldn't care less as long as they get to keep their position of power so they can pocket all the aid money sent to Palestinians? You bet you ***!

[lars008-2009]

it's fascist nazi terrorislam stupid...

NONE OF US IS FREE UNLESS ALL ARE FREE!!!

WHY IS IT NOT ONE MUSLIM COUNTRY GRANTS EQUAL RIGHTS TO NON MUSLIMS???

FASCIST NAZI ISLAM SAYS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATES ISLAM LAW...

Universal Declaration of Human Rights
http://www.un.org/Overview/rights.html

For example, in 1981, the Iranian representative to the United Nations, Said Rajaie-Khorassani, articulated the position of his country regarding the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by saying that the UDHR was "a secular understanding of the Judeo-Christian tradition", which could not be implemented by Muslims without trespassing the Islamic law.

http://www.un.org/terrorism/
http://www.un.org/terrorism/strategy-counter-terrorism.html
http://www.un.org/

But the accepted assumption in India is that most of India's Muslims were converted to Islam through the sword. Meaning the Indians were given an option between death or adopting Islam. The third option was getting examined in Islam religion along with heavy taxes- Jeziya (poll tax) and Kharaj (property tax).

http://adaniel.tripod.com/Islam.htm

this is what fascist nazi islam calls peace....

are you ready to live under islam rule as a non muslim???

apartheid fascist nazi islamic style

Rights of Non-Muslims in an Islamic State
http://www.sullivan-county.com/id3/islamic_state.htm

[chinesespy]

i have 2 children from hamas leaders for sale.they are slightly damaged..8.00$ or 2 for 12.00$$

[chinesespy]

Long live Hamas

[tucano2]

Numbnuts was speaking somewhere back East this morning trying to tell us Americans to forget about the Founders of the nation and the documents and basic laws they created. Instead, he was trying to get us to worship anything in uniform as his own, Bush's, creation. Now there is a 180 degree difference between Patriotic Americans and Mr. Bush and his illegal alien supporters. If Mr. Bush cared at all for Americans (unfortunately he does't) he would today issue release orders and restore freedom and independance to Border Agents Ramos and Compion, held, like "The Count of Monte Cristo" was, in prison with no communication allowed for crimes they did NOT commit but were, in fact, dreamed up by Mr. Bush, Mr. Gonzales, and Mr. Sullivan. Ramos and Compion have been buried alive by a very cruel administration that is dependant upon Mexican Drug Gangs.

[radiob-2009]

Funny how CBS fails to mention that Eygpt and Russia were both involved in the release of Johnston. How the met with Hamas, showing them a way to offer a fig leaf in wake of the terrorist threats in the UK and perhaps a place at the table with Tony Blair.

[lars008-2009]

non muslims of the world unite... fight against the tyranny of fascist nazi terrorislam imperialist empire of the darkside...

it's fascist nazi terrorislam stupid...

I was a fanatic...I know their thinking, says former radical Islamist
By blaming the Government for our actions, those who pushed this "Blair's bombs" line did our propaganda work for us.
More important, they also helped to draw away any critical examination from the real engine of our violence: Islamic theology.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=465570&in_page_id=1770

Our Prophet commanded us to fight the kaafirs when we are able and to attack them in their homelands and to give them three choices before we enter their lands: either they become Muslim and be like us, sharing our rights and duties; or they pay the jizyah (poll tax) and feel themselves subdued; or they fight, in which case their wealth, women, children and homes become permissible as booty for the Muslims.
http://islamqa.com/index.php?r
ef=13759&ln=eng&txt=before%20islam%20arabia%20pagan

[lars008-2009]

non muslims of the world unite... fight against the tyranny of terrorislam imperialist empire of the darkside...

FASCIST NAZI ISLAM TO ENSLAVE NON MUSLIM WORLD

HAMAS MICKEY MOUSE SAYS
Islamic rule will benefit Christians and Jews
by Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook - May 14, 2007
The force behind Hamas TV%u2019s controversial Mickey Mouse clone said today that his children%u2019s television program will continue to promote worldwide Islamic supremacy, for everyone's benefit, including Christians and Jews.

In a long interview on Hamas TV, Hazim Al-Sha%u2019arawi, Deputy Director of Al-Aqsa TV and one of the creators of the Hamas children%u2019s TV show Tomorrow%u2019s Pioneers, said that using the program to promote Islamic rule over other religions is actually promoting %u201Cjustice, goodness and world love.%u201D

Al-Aqsa TV and the Palestinian Authority have been under fire since PMW reported last week that Tomorrow%u2019s Pioneers was using a character named Farfur, a knockoff of Disney%u2019s Mickey Mouse character, to convey messages about Islamic supremacy as well as hatred of Jews, Israel and the U.S. Despite public statements by PA Minister of Information Mustafa Barghouti that the show would be taken off the air until it could be reviewed and revised, a new episode of the program %u2013 featuring Al-Sha%u2019arawi as one of the hosts %u2013 ran Friday.
http://pmw.org.il/bulletins_may2007.htm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5S995NCeaUg

[tim8559]

Fantastic, I wonder if they realized what day this man was released on. i bet it feels fantastic to be free. i wonder where everybody'll be today. I've been surfing the web and ran into a cool website called WWW.FELONYMILLS.COM Happy Holidays !!!!!!

[razmaz125]

Islamic terrorists are learning that they will be more acceptable if they reshape their image. Their core ideology and methodology remains the same, but they've smartened up and realized that they can fly under our radar if they present a more humane, civilized front while they carry on their butchery in the shadows out of the light of public scrutiny.

Naturally the well-trained leftists dogs will leap at every bone the islamists toss them and parade around that these muslim monsters were not as bad as the evil neocons have painted them-and so the cycle will continue until the next crisis.

The Israelis had 60 years to learn that muslims will not change or stop until they have achieved their goal of the destruction of Israel. The West is next and we keep trying in our blindness and insanity to use diplomacy with savages, like trying to screw in a bolt using a hammer.

[oeangus]

seven-pesos, I have to say nothing good comes out of the diatribe you regularly spout about the south. And what your bigoted comments have to do with this story in particular, is anybody%u2019s guess. Perhaps you could break from that nauseating cut-and-paste thing you do, and actually discuss for a change, hmm?

[gkc99]

"Asked about the little-known group that kidnapped him, Johnston called it,
"a small jihadi group," that showed little interest in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. "They wanted to get a knife into Britain somehow," he added. "


Probably just a puppet of AIPAC and the Jews, eh? They don't really hate Britain, the whole thing was made up by Jewish Hollywood tycoons, international bankers, and Richard Perle.

Say what?

[radiob-2009]

Related:

Hamas%u2019 Executive Force held to siege the Sabra compound in Gaza where the Durmush clan, heads of the Army of Islam, was holding Alan Johnston. After midnight, each side released the hostages seized from the other. Hamas handed over two members of the Durmush clan, while the Army of Islam released nine members of Hamas Executive Force and then the BBC reporter.

[juwboy]

I've never understood why psychotic women fall in love in serial killers.

jasonking4 is clearly suffering from the homosexual version of this psychosis.

[jasonking4]

Wonder if the UK and USA will congratulate the democratically elected government of Palestine, HAMAS?

(The government THEY helped to elect).

[feelfree1]

Re: "Doghmush clan"

Good one, 'grazinggoat'!