Al Qaeda Posts Photos Of Austrian Hostages

African Branch Of Terror Group Claims It Kidnapped The 2 Tourists In Tunisia Last Month

(AP)  Al Qaeda's branch for North Africa on Thursday set a three-day deadline to meet conditions for the release of two Austrian tourists it claimed to have kidnapped in Tunisia last month.

In a statement posted on the Internet - which included six photographs purportedly showing Austrians Wolfgang Ebner and Andrea Kloiber - al Qaeda in Islamic North Africa said it would free the pair if all of the group's members were released from jails in Tunisia and Algeria. The posting gave Austrian authorities three days, starting midnight Thursday, to comply.

The statement, the authenticity of which could not be independently verified although it was posted on a Web site linked to the group, also called on Western tourists to avoid visiting the Maghreb region in northern Africa.

"Austria is responsible for the lives of the two hostages in the event of the expiration of the time period and not responding to our demands," it said and urged families of the two Austrians to pressure their government to meet the group's demands.

The woman in the photographs, said to be Kloiber, was shown wearing a headscarf and her face was obscured. According to extremist Islamist beliefs, showing a woman's face in public and in images is prohibited. Both she and the man, who had a graying mustache and a short beard, were wearing traditional Arab robes.

The statement also said the Austrian government has been informed of the kidnappers' demands and that they had handed over to unnamed "negotiators" a list of detained members they want released. There were no details on how many names were listed.

"You are interested in the safety of your citizens," the group said, addressing Austria. "We are also interested in the release of our brothers."

On Monday, the al Qaeda branch first said in an audio recording that it was behind the Feb. 22 kidnapping of the two tourists, saying it was an act of retribution for Western cooperation with Israel. The statement claimed the hostages were in good health.

Relatives reported the pair missing when they did not return from a vacation to Tunisia on March 1. The two were last heard from on Feb. 18 and failed to make a planned phone call to Ebner's son on Feb. 25.

[downsteamjim]

Just remeber that if you are a good muslim, there is nothing that you can do that is wrong.

[mcvet]

Some Muslims celebrate mass murder of students and give out candy when Islamic Siucide bombers strike crowds of bystanders, then they violently protest some one joking about Mohammad. This is upside down and makes Islam look like a spiritual disaster waiting to happen. Whats worse? Joking or murdering
? Murder is worse than joking.


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Posted by telecom_1 at 01:17 PM : Mar 14, 2008
+ report abuse

THOSE muslims should be treated by this nation and by the world NO different than the way we treated the Klan back in the 60''s. They are common criminals and they need to be treated that way, who care''s what religion they are. WHEN this nation gets back to being America and stops being an extention of the Religious Reich, we''ll be okay!! Sieg Heil Bush

[mcvet]

If you people would take stories like this for fact it would be impossible to justify your daily blather. So in order to make sense of your twisted, hateful, fairytale existance you must create this fantasy world you all live in. The true facts as stated in stories like this would make your rhetoric nonsensical, idiotic and completly innacurate.


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Posted by notblue at 12:34 PM : Mar 14, 2008
+ report abuse

Don''t you think WE as a Nation should be MORE concerned about the LIES told to us about Al Queda and Afganistan by your fuhrer than we are with what someone on HERE has to say? They didn''t tell us that Al Queda wasn''t important anymore, the Fuhrer did. I''d say THAT was a serious flaw in judgement at best now wouldn''t you? Sieg Heil Bush

[mcvet]

and that was declared while you hide safely and protected by ''''fear war mongering'''' facists..


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Posted by LIBSRWEAK at 02:10 AM : Mar 14, 2008
+ report abuse

Have YOU ever had an orginal thought? With you it''s always the same... you''re like a rabid animal who has to attack everyone who doesn''t agree with your fuhrer or your party. RELAX a little.. You do know that LIBERALS have been around since the very begining don''t you? YOU do know that some of them called CRAZY by you fascist in their day have turned out to be our GREATEST leaders don''t you. Put a sock in it sparky and LISTEN to what people have to say. It won''t hurt you and considering your mental abilities on here I certainly can help!! Sieg Heil Bush!! Say? Where''s the Klan Rally this weekend?? ROFLMAO

[mcvet]

Prinzo, why don''''t you crawl back in your cave, true American citizens see through your daily job and know who and what you are. While your radiculous posts do provide some entertainment trolls like yourself who spew the fairtales day in and day out at these CBS posts can kiss my a$$.


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Posted by notblue at 12:30 PM : Mar 14, 2008
+ report abuse

You know you sound like a very angry person when someone does NOT meet your expectations as to what YOU believe an American is. YOU seem to have your own small little circle of "friends" and those of us who aren''t in that circle aren''t "normal". Kinda strange don''t you think? Get out, talk to people YOU may not agree with.. listen to what they have to say. Not all Muslim''s or for that matter not all people outside your "Christian" group are bad people. SIEG HEIL BUSH!!

[telecom_1]

Some Muslims celebrate mass murder of students and give out candy when Islamic Siucide bombers strike crowds of bystanders, then they violently protest some one joking about Mohammad. This is upside down and makes Islam look like a spiritual disaster waiting to happen. Whats worse? Joking or murdering
? Murder is worse than joking.

[notblue]

If you people would take stories like this for fact it would be impossible to justify your daily blather. So in order to make sense of your twisted, hateful, fairytale existance you must create this fantasy world you all live in. The true facts as stated in stories like this would make your rhetoric nonsensical, idiotic and completly innacurate.

[notblue]

Prinzo, why don''t you crawl back in your cave, true American citizens see through your daily job and know who and what you are. While your radiculous posts do provide some entertainment trolls like yourself who spew the fairtales day in and day out at these CBS posts can kiss my a$$.

[prinzowhales]

Way to go al Qaeda/CIA that will get the Eurotrash a fuming! This is the "Dirty War" on a global scale!... an operation designed--like OPERATION GLADIO--to achieve a public relations victory against the Islamists. In Italy, our brave terrorists blew up entire train stations to blame it on Leftist terrorists so as to sway the vote against the Left... now they are working to win the hearts and minds of the Eurotrash...but its hard work when you have patriots like former Italian President Cossiga who spilled the beans on GLADIO and noted that it was an open secret in the intelligence community that Israel and the US were behind 9-11 in order to win the support of the population for the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.

Get behind America! Get behind its al Qaeda assets!-- The brave jihadis who helped Mr. Soros gain control of important resources in Kosovo for Queen and Portfolio!

While Osama bin CIA and Dead''s family are business partners of the Bush family, al Zawahiri''s brother is busy running KLA terrorist training camps in US occupied Serbian Kosovo! Who cares, right!? If you don''t support our al Qaeda assets YOU hate America!!

http://www.drmenlo.com/nimmo/archive01.html

"Nothing to see here...Move along!"
http://www.drmenlo.com/nimmo/archive01.html

[libsrweak]

Posted by FeelFree1 at 11:10 PM : Mar 13, 2008
+ report abuse

*******

and that was declared while you hide safely and protected by ''fear war mongering'' facists..