MetaFilter posts tagged with hostage

David Rohde: Held by the Taliban

Merik — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:05:46 -0800

On a reporting trip to Afghanistan in November of 2008, New York Times reporter David Rohde and two of his colleagues were kidnapped by the Taliban. After being held captive for seven months in the mountains of Afghanistan and Northern Pakistan, David and one of his colleagues escaped in the middle of the night and made their way to freedom. He recounts the story in a five part series: Held by the Taliban. Part One: Kidnapped Part Two: The New Islamic State Part Three: Understanding the Captors Part Four: Through the Eyes of Jihadists Part Five: Escape Epilogue The intro for the series includes video summaries narrated by David Rohde. (previously)

Japanese Whaling Crisis Escalates

dodialog — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:14:48 -0800

A complex situation has arisen in the Southern Ocean where the Japanese Whaling fleet run by The Institute of Cetacean Research is attempting to slaughter nearly a thousand whales for the much scoffed at purpose of scientific research. Greenpeace located the fleet and claims to have chased the whalers out of hunting grounds. An Australian Federal Court judgement meanwhile has ruled the expedition illegal and imposed an injunction against the illegal whaling in Australian waters. The Japanese do not recognise Australia's claim. The Japanese responded by ignoring the judgement. Now Sea Shephard an activist group have put two of their members aboard a Japanese Ship and claims they were tied to the mast. Despite the Japanese Government saying the activists would be released the ships captain refuses to do so. Recent related post.

FARCfilter

mert — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 18:46:28 -0800

Colombia's FARC rebels hold over 3000 current hostages, including soldiers, lawmakers, presidential candidates, Americans, Canadians, Japanese, a Turk, 291 children (including one born in captivity who is the youngest hostage in the world), and a disillusioned Dutch convert whose diary was recently discovered. Family members of the kidnapped can send messages to their loved ones on a popular radio show. More about Colombian kidnappings in Silvana Paternostro's captivating memoir My Colombian War.

How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran

JHarris — Thu, 26 Apr 2007 12:17:25 -0800

How the CIA Used a Fake Sci-Fi Flick to Rescue Americans from Tehran by Joshuah Bearman. As history keeps on happening, all people and events are becoming linked to each other in strange and inexplicable ways. Once in a while those links surface into view. Here, then, is the key event that connects Jack Kirby and Roger Zelazny to the CIA's handling of the Iranian hostage crisis. Via Wired Magazine and good evening.

Signs of torture on kidnapped Iranian diplomat's body

hoder — Wed, 11 Apr 2007 16:22:10 -0800

Iranian envoy wounds 'confirmed': The head of the International Red Cross in Tehran, Peter Stoeker, says he saw wounds on an Iranian diplomat who has alleged that US forces in Iraq tortured him. There were marks on Jalal Sharafi's feet, legs, back and nose. [photos].
On 4 February soldiers from the Iraqi army 36th Commando battalion in Baghdad, considered to be under American control, had seized Jalal Sharafi, while he was carrying a videogame, a gift for his daughter. Read more about the US secret operations against Iranians in Iraq in an exclusive report by The Independent.

Arrested British sailors were gathering intelligence on Iran while on UN mandate?

hoder — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 04:46:15 -0800

Releaed British navy commander: We were gathering intelligence on Iran (Watch the interview)
Tony Blair: The sailors were on a legitimate UN mandate
The Observer: The MoD confirmed last night that the Iranians had made the claim that they had become interested in Cornwall's activities after learning about it on British television, but denied the decision to allow the ship's crew to be interviewed while on active duty had jeopardised the mission.

Photo: Seized British sailors after release

hoder — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 08:49:24 -0800

Photo: Seized British sailors after release

Jill Carroll has been released unharmed

stilgar — Thu, 30 Mar 2006 05:21:54 -0800

"She was released this morning, she's talked to her father and she's fine" Jill Carroll has been released and is safe. [newsfilter]

Why bother?

iviken — Sat, 25 Mar 2006 00:51:29 -0800

Freed and ungrateful? "Norman Kember, the freed peace activist, will arrive back in Britain today amid growing controversy over his failure publicly to thank the military forces who rescued him." "Rescued British hostage Norman Kember yesterday refused to fly home from Iraq in a RAF military jet." Kember is a member of the Christian Peacemaker Teams: Committed to reducing violence by "getting in the way". This is not the first controversy regarding western hostages freed in Iraq. Former kidnap victim Susanne Osthoff kept parts of the ransom money: "Politicians and the public were yesterday asking new questions about her ordeal. Many have lost patience with Miss Osthoff, a convert to Islam, since she declared her intention to return to Iraq and failed to thank them for their efforts to free her." Former kidnap victim Giuliana Sgrena was accused of cooperating with her abductors.

CPT activist killed in Iraq

the_bone — Sat, 11 Mar 2006 08:48:42 -0800

The body of Tom Fox (a Quaker peace activist and Christian Peacemaker Team member who was abducted [previous MeFi discussion] by insurgents last November) has been found in Baghdad.

We Negotiate With Terrorists

trick — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 12:29:13 -0800

We Negotiate With Terrorists. With an abrupt move opposite of stated policy, abducted American journalist Jill Carroll's life may have been saved by the US military yielding to the demands of her captors. Have gender, politics, and media coverage become factors erroding the mantra that the US Government formally states?

Strollin' down the highway with my shoes in my hand...

dsword — Fri, 02 Dec 2005 17:02:44 -0800

Tom Fox, a Quaker peaceworker, abducted in Iraq with three others. He understood the risks, accepted them, and now must "stand firm against the kidnapper as... against the soldier". His friends and supporters are calling for the hostages to be released, making it clear that they "[do] not advocate the use of violent force" to save lives.

"Purpose"-driven life, eh?

dersins — Tue, 27 Sep 2005 18:31:59 -0800

Remember "saintly" Atlanta hostage Ashley Smith? Well, it turns out that it was a lot more than her "faith" and a copy of a Christian self-help book that got her through that particular ordeal...

Shh, I'm hunting wabbits...

nospecialfx — Thu, 17 Feb 2005 10:53:58 -0800

An online psycho (or entrepreneurial genius?) says he's holding a bunny, named Toby, hostage unless charitable animal lovers donate $50,000 to his paypal account. Otherwise, he'll butcher it. So far, he's got $14,000.

Knowing is half the battle!

furtive — Tue, 01 Feb 2005 16:58:14 -0800

Iraqi militants claimed...to have taken an American soldier hostage and threatened to behead him... The posting, on a Web site that frequently carried militants' statements, included a photo of what that statement said was an American soldier, wearing desert fatigues and seated on a concrete floor with his hands tied behind his back. The figure in the photo appeared stiff and expressionless... Looks like a bunch of newspapers got duped.

Netgotiation

four panels — Tue, 20 Jul 2004 09:05:12 -0800

Six million dollars and a hostage is free. Now others are asking the Philippines for similar arrangements.

Wag the dog?

tomcosgrave — Fri, 16 May 2003 04:21:02 -0800

The alleged truth about how Private Jessica Lynch was saved.
This is a pretty amazing story, coming originally from the BBC and now a front page story on the Guardian. There's a program on it on BBC on Sunday.

Story courtesy of Karlin Lillington, where I picked it up.

The Voyage of Terry Waite's Clogs

jontyjago — Fri, 15 Nov 2002 03:47:24 -0800

The Voyage of Terry Waite's Clogs I first saw this a couple of days ago and the more I think about the logistics and reasoning behind this the stranger it becomes. I like the fact this probably wouldn't happen in any other country than England, but all the same you do have to wonder why it happened. For those non-Brits Terry Waite was the Archbishop of Canterbury's envoy to Beirut in the 80s and was held hostage for 5 years by a militant islamic group.

David Dark — Sat, 26 Oct 2002 01:45:19 -0800

Russian Forces Set Hostages Free. Deputy Interior Minister Vladimir Vasilyev said about three dozen of the estimated 50 hostage-takers had been killed and Federal Security Service director Nikolai Patrushev said, contrary to earlier reports, that none of the gunmen had escaped. Terrorism loses again.

mikrophon — Thu, 19 Sep 2002 10:00:36 -0800

Life imitates "art" as the singer for Brazilian rockers ACC storms the studio, so to speak, and forces a DJ to play his band's record over and over for an hour. Are things really this desperate?

Gilbert — Thu, 05 Sep 2002 09:10:35 -0800

Terrorism takes the world stage
30 years ago today, armed terrorists took 11 Israeli athletes hostage at the Munich Olympics. Did anyone see this past weekend's ABC News documentary on it? The Academy Award winning film? This is an utterly fascinating story, in my opinion. Even today, people are puzzling over just how much went wrong.

jjg — Fri, 22 Feb 2002 22:12:45 -0800

Daniel Pearl's widow speaks out. "Revenge would be easy, but it is far more valuable in my opinion to address this problem of terrorism with enough honesty to question our own responsibility as nations and as individuals for the rise of terrorism." (via the indispensable rc3.org)

ktheory — Tue, 04 Sep 2001 10:32:10 -0800

Bank robbery in progress: You can probably watch it live on TV right now. Six schools close to the bank have been shut down, and the FBI is negotiating for the hostages to be released.

crasspastor — Tue, 26 Jun 2001 18:41:18 -0800

Former Beiruit hostage Tom Sutherland is now more rich that Donald and his son combined (probably). . . $53m comes from the US tax payers. The other $300m he was awarded to be sifted out Iran somehow. Granted, he and "cell-mate" Terry Anderson spent 70 months chained, gagged and probably unbathed, but can't they honestly say now, this was the best thing that could ever have happened to them? "We're not going to build any new houses or move away from Fort Collins . . .. We'll just be the same guys." Sutherland pooh-poohed the high falutin' rumors. What'd they expect teaching school in a den of lions?

Iberaband — Wed, 20 Jun 2001 14:17:19 -0800

Gay Webmaster Takes Baptist Church Staffer Hostage? Good grief!