Al-Qaeda Terrorists Behead American Hostage Paul Johnson - 2004-06-18

Al-Qaeda terrorists in Saudi Arabia beheaded American hostage Paul Johnson, who was kidnapped last Saturday in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. An Islamic website released a statement signed by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula announcing Mr. Johnson's beheading, along with photos of his decapitated body. In a video, his captors had urgently demanded the release of Islamic militants from Saudi prisons by Friday, or else the 49-year-old engineer would be killed. Security forces had launched an intense search for the American hostage, with helicopters flying over Riyadh and security forces patrolling the outskirts of the city and desert areas. A senior Saudi official stated that 20 FBI agents had joined the investigation. Mr. Johnson's relatives and a Saudi cleric publicly pleaded with his kidnappers to release him unharmed. U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell condemned the killing of Paul Johnson, stating that this event would lead the international community to combat terrorism more decisively. Mr. Powell added, 'This is a barbaric act, one that once again shows the world who we are dealing with, with people who cut off a human's head or kill someone. Johnson was an innocent man trying to help people, just doing his job. This incident will lead us, and I am sure our Saudi partners, to increase our efforts to pursue terrorists wherever they are and in any place they try to hide.' Mr. Powell expressed sympathy and condolences to the Johnson family, who showed great courage in dealing with his kidnapping. Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, also expressed a similar view, calling the killing of the American engineer a ruthless act and an intolerable behavior that cannot advance a political goal. Meanwhile, officials in Washington stated that the U.S. State Department was preparing to issue a new warning advising American citizens against traveling to the Middle East and North Africa following Paul Johnson's death.