Unconfirmed reports claim kidnapped reporter dead
A claim that kidnapped journalist Alan Johnston has been killed remains unconfirmed today.
A previously unknown Palestinian group, The Brigades of Tawheed and Jihad, yesterday sent a statement to news organisations which claimed it had killed Mr Johnston.
The group claimed it killed Mr Johnston, 44, to support demands for the release of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
The BBC said it was “deeply concerned” yesterday but stressed there had been no independent verification that the Gaza correspondent was dead.
Mr Johnston, who is originally from Scotland, was kidnapped by masked gunmen as he returned to his apartment in Gaza City on March 12.
Before the statement was issued yesterday, nobody had claimed responsibility for the kidnap.
Eleven journalists have been kidnapped in Gaza over the past three years. They were all later released unharmed, usually within days of being captured. Mr Johnston has been held the longest.
The Palestinian government yesterday said there was no evidence to support the claim that Mr Johnston was dead.
Although The Brigades of Tawheed and Jihad is not known in Gaza, the name has been used elsewhere in the Middle East by organisations linked to al-Qaida.
Palestinian Interior Minister Hani Kawasmeh told a press conference in Gaza City: “This party that issued the statement about the so-called killing is unknown to the security services.
“There is no information to confirm the killing of Johnston until now.”
The BBC said in a statement: “We are deeply concerned about what we are hearing, but we stress at this stage it is rumour with no independent verification.”
A Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) spokeswoman said: “We are aware of these reports and are urgently looking into them.”
Mr Johnston joined the BBC World Service in 1991 and has spent eight of the past 16 years as a correspondent, including periods in Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.
He was the only Western reporter permanently based in Gaza, but had been preparing to leave because his three-year placement was due to finish at the end of March.
The BBC held a day of action to step up calls for the journalist’s release on Thursday, one month after he was taken.
At the time BBC director-general Mark Thompson revealed that Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas had told him he had “credible evidence” Mr Johnston was “safe and well”.
Mr Thompson said: “He assured me that Palestinian authorities are fully engaged with Alan’s case and working to resolve this as soon as possible.”
Helen Boaden, the BBC’s director of news and current affairs, said President Abbas’ comments gave the first credible evidence that Mr Johnston was safe.
The kidnapped correspondent’s parents also issued a heartfelt plea for his release on Thursday.
Graham and Margaret Johnston published a letter written for their son in which they urged him to keep his “chin up”.
The letter read: “Hello old son, I don’t know if you will see this but I just felt that I wanted you to know how distressed and sorry we all are that you were taken.
“You had warned us frequently that the chances were always there that you would be kidnapped and we were prepared in a way for this to happen. Nevertheless, when it came it was a considerable shock.”
Thousands of people from around the world have signed a petition calling for his release and hundreds have also posted messages of support on the BBC News website.
Palestinian journalists have organised a series of strikes and rallies to protest at his abduction.
Three hundred top UK media personalities also joined forces to demand the journalist’s release.
Trevor McDonald, Jeremy Paxman, David Frost, Jon Snow, Kirsty Wark and Natasha Kaplinsky were among those who gave their names to a full-page advert published in The Guardian on April 2.
They urged everyone with “influence” to increase their efforts and ensure he was freed “quickly and unharmed”.
