Thursday, April 14, 2011

ISM Volunteer kidnapped in Gaza

Oh, the poor hapless International Solidarity Movement. Just in the middle of their recruitement drive for volunteers, this had to happen. Vittorio Arrigoni, 36, ISM volunteer in Gaza, was kidnapped earlier today in Gaza city. And they can't even blame Israel this time. The kidnappers belong to
A-Tawheed wal Jihad, an organization aligned with al Qaeda that feels Hamas is too moderate. They have released a video showing Arrigoni bruised, tied and blindfolded, and text scrolling across the screen threatens that he will die unless Hamas releases Salafist prisoners by 5 p.m. Friday. Topping the list of prisoners is a senior member of the group, Hisham al-Sa'adi.

Huwaida Arraf, co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement, admitted Arrigoni was one of their activists who had arrived on a flotilla several years earlier. Arrigoni writes a blog for Guerrilla Radio and for the communist newspaper Il Manifesto. He is the first foreigner kidnapped in Gaza since BBC journalist Alan Johnston was snatched in 2007.

UPDATE:
From JPOST
Security officials found the body of an Italian man who had been abducted in the Gaza Strip in an abandoned house overnight Thursday, a Hamas security official said.

Two men were arrested and others were being sought.

A video released of Arrigoni said, in Arabic "the Italian hostage entered our land only to spread corruption" and it described Italy as "the infidel state".

This is really going to cut down on ISM's recruiting.

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