kidnapped journalist

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On 10-Year Anniversary of Tice Abduction, a Message From Biden

President says 'we know with certainty' Syria has US journo, calls on Syria to 'help us bring him home'

(Newser) - Austin Tice was abducted in Syria 10 years ago this week, and no government or group has claimed responsibility or admitted to detaining him since. But on Wednesday, President Biden said "we know with certainty" that Syria has the 41-year-old US freelance journalist and Marine Corps veteran in captivity,...

Journo Held Captive for 3 Years in Syria: 'Now I Am in Turkey'

Jumpei Yasuda, abducted in 2015 by Nusra Front, is now safe

(Newser) - A Japanese freelance journalist who was freed after more than three years of captivity in Syria said Wednesday he's safe in neighboring Turkey. "My name is Jumpei Yasuda, Japanese journalist. I have been held in Syria for 40 months," Yasuda said, somewhat haltingly in English, in videotaped...

He Said He Needed Toilet Paper. It Was a Ruse to Escape

Michael Scott Moore's attempt to flee Somali pirates didn't work

(Newser) - He said he needed to use the bathroom, and that he had toilet paper downstairs—he just needed permission to get it. There was some verbal tussling, but then Michael Scott Moore was given the OK to retrieve it. It was all a ruse, and the downstairs location he headed...

Parents of Kidnapped US Reporter Believe He's Alive

Parents of Austin Tice speak out

(Newser) - The parents of an American journalist who has been missing in Syria for the past five years said on Thursday that they believe he is still alive—and that the US and Syrian governments have assured them they're doing all they can to secure his safe release. The pair...

Iraqi Journalist Kidnapped Hours After Criticizing Gov't Official

8 gunmen reportedly took her from Baghdad home

(Newser) - Armed men posing as members of security forces have kidnapped an Iraqi journalist from her home in Baghdad. Afrah Shawqi al-Qaisi, also identified as Afrah Shawqi Hammudi, was seized around 10pm Monday in the Saidiya neighborhood, say security officials. "Eight armed men burst into her house in Saidiya dressed...

Message in Photo: 'Please Help Me. This Is Last Chance'

Journalist Jumpei Yasuda vanished last June while near the Syrian border

(Newser) - Japanese journalist Jumpei Yasuda vanished last June while near the Syrian border. Now a Syrian man connected to his alleged captors on Sunday released a photo that Japan's foreign minister says the country believes "is of Mr. Yasuda himself." In the photo, a man with long hair...

New ISIS Video: UK Journo Vows to Show West 'Truth'

John Cantlie blasts government that 'abandoned' him

(Newser) - ISIS militants have apparently released their latest video, but this one is decidedly different: It features British journalist John Cantlie , a hostage since October 2012, in a three-minute address to the Western public titled "Lend Me Your Ears." Though he's clad in an orange jumpsuit, there are...

Sotloff Family Grieves After Release of Video

Journalist was aware of Syria dangers, colleagues say

(Newser) - The family of American journalist Steven Sotloff is aware that ISIS has released a video it claims shows his beheading and is "grieving privately," a spokesman says. The State Department says it is "sickened" and is trying to determine whether the video is genuine, reports the AP...

Freed Journalist Arrives Back in US

Peter Curtis 'moved beyond words' by welcome back

(Newser) - Peter Curtis has made it back to the US and been reunited with his mother after nearly two years in the hands of Syrian militants. "I have been so touched and moved, beyond all words, by the people who have come up to me today—strangers on the airplane,...

Kidnapped US Journalist on the Way Home

Qatar helped free Peter Theo Curtis from Nusra Front

(Newser) - The US has confirmed that a kidnapped American journalist has been freed by his captors —and John Kerry says he is "relieved and grateful" that Peter Theo Curtis is on the way home. Relatives tell the New York Times that Qatar helped free the Massachusetts native after nearly...

Kidnapped US Journalist Freed: Report

Peter Theo Curtis was taken in Turkey in 2012

(Newser) - American journalist Peter Theo Curtis, who was kidnapped in Turkey the month before James Foley went missing in 2012, has been released and is currently in the custody of United Nations representatives. Curtis, a Boston native abducted as he prepared to cross the border into Syria, was set free today...

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