Re: Kidnapped American ID'd, Threatened

Date: June 15, 2004

"Gunman claims to have kidnapped Paul Johnson

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Jun. 15 (UPI) -- A videotape showing a man who identified himself as U.S. citizen Paul Johnson was posted Tuesday on a Web site often used by al-Qaida.

Johnson, who works for the Lockheed Martin Corp., has been missing in Saudi Arabia since Saturday.

The four-and-one-half-minute, heavily edited video showed a blindfolded Johnson for 25 seconds, with his shirt torn to expose a tattoo on his left shoulder, CNN reported.

"I'm an American out of the United States," the man said. "I work on a Apache helicopter."

A masked man holding an automatic weapon, who identified himself as Abdul Aziz al-Muqrin, a military leader of al-Qaida in Saudi Arabia, said he was speaking on behalf of the Falluja Squadron which has al-Qaida ties.

He demanded Saudi Arabia free all al-Qaida prisoners and all Westerners leave the Arabian Peninsula.

If the demands have not been met within 72 hours, Johnson would be killed, the gunman said.

©2004 United Press International"