Saturday, November 18, 2006
Group claims responsibility for expat kidnappings
Security
A previously unknown group has claimed responsibility for abducting a private security team of four Americans and an Austrian in southern Iraq, according to an Iranian-run Arabic-language satellite news station. Al-Alam television posted a report on its Web site Saturday saying the group, called Islamic Companies, claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. It said the group released a videotaped message saying it was holding the five men and demanded the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq and the release of all prisoners being held there. The Web site report could not immediately be verified. A photo with the report showed an unidentified man whose face was covered with a checkered Arabic head dress reading the statement.
A press release posted on Saturday 18th on Crescent Security Group's website can be seen here: http://www.crescentsecuritygroup.com/Press%20Release%2018%20Nov%202006.pdf
