Kidnappers holding a Jordanian in Iraq say he will die in three days unless a failed bomber is freed by Jordan.
A video aired by satellite channel al-Arabiya shows Mahmoud Sulaiman reading a statement saying he will die unless Sajida al-Rishawi is freed.
She attempted to help her husband bomb a Jordanian hotel last month, but her device apparently failed to detonate.
Mr Sulaiman, who works as a driver for the Jordanian embassy in Baghdad, was seized on Tuesday.
The video shows Mr Sulaiman sitting on the ground, surrounded by armed men with automatic guns and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.
A banner in the background bears the name of a previously unknown group calling itself the Hawk Brigades.
Last month’s suicide attacks in Jordan, which killed nearly 60 people, were carried out by Sajida al-Rishawi’s husband and two other men.
They targeted three hotels, including one where a wedding reception was under way.
This is one of those “don’t negotiate with terrorists” situations. While it has been applied as a general rule in the past decade or so I am unsure of it’s application here. We have on the one hand a terrorist who sought to blow herself up at a wedding and on the other hand an innocent Jordanian driver.
If this trade is made is it reasonable to assume the driver would be let go? I doubt it. I think these people want Jordan to be completely hands free when it comes to Iraq, which includes shutting down the embassy. This is an impossibility and I hope it does not happen.
I wonder how the Jordanian government will respond.
More importantly, I wonder how the society will take it.
UPDATE: December 25th
The Jordanian government on Saturday rejected as â?Âblackmailâ? a demand by the kidnappers of a Jordanian man to release an alleged failed suicide bomber held in connection with explosions that tore through three hotels in Amman in November, killing 60 people.
â??Throughout its history, Jordan has not succumbed to terrorism or to blackmail,â? government spokesman Nasser Judeh was quoted as saying by the countryâ??s official news agency, Petra.
…â??We urge the kidnapping group, regardless of its name and its address, to free Saidat immediately and without preconditions,â? Judeh added.
…â??The government has listened to the videotape … we are following up the issue with due attention with a view to confirming the information it included,â? Judeh said.
â??The Jordanian government urges the Iraqi government to take all immediate and necessary measures to ensure Saidatâ??s release. On our behalf, we will not spare any effort to secure his freedom,â? he added. [source]
No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No…..hell No. This is a war, and we will have martyrs in this war. If this driver is distened to be a martyr, then may allah help his loved ones. No to terror, ane certainly no to negotiating with them.
That’s why I didn’t like the idea of showing Sajida on TV, I think we trust in our police and there was no need at all to show her on TV.
I wonder why they didn’t say she commet sucide and end of story.
What usually happens is that the official channels deny any negotiations with the kidnappers but liaison will be working in the background to sort out some deal. I just hope the best for the driver and his family.
No they should not trade him for a taxi driver or for any other citizen even if it was the prime minster, if we trade him we would be surrendering to terrorism.
I wish our governement would still move, maybe offer the bastarrds some money…
Well, here is the thing!
اÙ?اÙ?ساÙ? أغÙ?Ù? Ù?ا Ù?Ù?Ù?Ù?!
So I think the Jordanians should take the streets demanding for his release!I mean this has happened before in other countries!(Wishful thinking,eh?)
The PM should show some real and personal concern regarding this.
Now, Atrousa is a confessed suicide bomber, that is an alleged killer invovled in the death of many innocent people! She’s a criminal, I mean you can’t simply trade her off, she’s not a political prisoner.
The government should try every possible way to set him free, I don’t know,offer them money,booze,etc!
What is taking them so long to have her in court?
1. this wouldnt have happened if we had just killed her in the first week of the bombings. the other thing is, if we give her back, how long before they send her on another bombing spree? how long before she is successfull in blowing up children in another country?
2.the taxi driver is a human being and i feel for him and his loved ones, but this is a situation of the greater good
3. our government needs to do something is a great call to arms but lets get real, what are they going to do?
She should be put on triial ,they should not give in to these mass murderers who are casuing mayhem and the deaths of thousands of innocent civilians.
Legally she didn’t kill anyone, and they cannot sentence her for killing, but for trying to kill