USA: U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL HAS CONDEMNED THE APPARENT BEHEADING OF AMERICAN HOSTAGE PAUL JOHNSON AS AN ACT OF BARBARISM
Record ID:
222859
USA: U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL HAS CONDEMNED THE APPARENT BEHEADING OF AMERICAN HOSTAGE PAUL JOHNSON AS AN ACT OF BARBARISM
- Title: USA: U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL HAS CONDEMNED THE APPARENT BEHEADING OF AMERICAN HOSTAGE PAUL JOHNSON AS AN ACT OF BARBARISM
- Date: 18th June 2004
- Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (JUNE 18, 2004) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. SV SECRETARY OF STATE COLIN POWELL WALKS UP TO MICROPHONES OUTSIDE STATE DEPARTMENT/PULL IN MCU (English) SECRETARY POWELL SAYING, "Well we've heard these reports. I don't yet if they're confirmed by Saudi authorities, but we're in touch with Saudi authorities and if these reports are true about Mister Johnson, we, of course, totally condemn this action. It's an action of barbarism, an action that shows once again what the world is dealing with with these kinds of individuals who would behead somebody, or murder somebody in cold blood, an innocent individual who was just trying to help people, trying to do his job. And if anything it will cause us, and I am quite confident, it will cause our Saudi colleagues to redouble our efforts to go after terrorists, wherever they are, wherever they are trying to hide and to go after those who support this kind of thing, and so we are waiting to hear more from Saudi Arabia. Our thoughts are with Mister Johnson's family who have shown a great deal of courage through this trying time, very difficult time for them. And my thoughts, our thoughts are with them and we're waiting to get final confirmation. Thank you./POWELL WALKS AWAY FROM MICROPHONE AND INTO STATE DEPARTMENT 1.18 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 3rd July 2004 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES
- City:
- Country: USA
- Reuters ID: LVA10Q1UCSY64VG32240LRRV14L3
- Story Text: Colin Powell condemns reports American hostage has
been beheaded calling it an act of barbarism.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has condemned the
apparent beheading of American hostage Paul Johnson as an
act of barbarism.
He said they were still waiting for confirmation of the
execution from Saudi authorities.
But if it was true said it showed once again what the
world was dealing with with the kind of individuals who
would behead someone, murder them, in cold blood, an
innocent individual who was only trying to help people and
trying to do his job.
Powell said he had no doubt it would cause both the U.S
and the Saudi authorities to redouble their efforts to
track down the terrorists wherever they were hiding and
also go after those who supported them.
But at this time his thoughts were with Mr Johnson's
family who had shown great courage during difficult and
trying times.
Al Qaeda militants beheaded U.S. engineer Paul Marshall
Johnson, who had been held hostage since last week, after
the Saudi government failed to meet demands to free jailed
militants.
Johnson, 49, was an employee of defence contractor
Lockheed Martin, which manufactures U.S. helicopter
gunships. A statement on an Islamic website said al Qaeda
had killed him because of "what Muslims have suffered from
American Apache planes and their rockets".
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