You’ve probably already seen the story describing the al Qaeda videotape of hostage Paul Johnson. But you might have missed this part of it:
The tape on the Web site, , showed a hooded man read a statement and holding an AK-47 rifle. As the man was reading, a subtitle on the screen identified him as al-Moqrin.http://www.hostinganime.com/sout18/
His statement was similar to a printed message on the Web site that carried the name of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. It said the group gave Saudi authorities 72 hours – by Friday – to release “mujahadeen” militants or it would kill the hostage.
Postmodern terror isn’t about taking hostages and making demands:
Remember that al Qaeda audiotape delivered to CNN, saying “No Jews in Saudi Arabia, or we start blowing up your ships”? Remember when Osama made that chilling video, saying he’d truck bomb American embassies if we didn’t pull out of the Middle East? Remember 9/11/2001, when Arab hijackers took over four American airliners, and threatened to ram them into office towers if we didn’t institute sharia here in America?
Of course you don’t. Those things never happened. Our attackers are not, by our lights, rational. They don’t kill to get what they want. They don’t kill to further their agenda. They kill for the sake of killing. They turn themselves into bombs to win Allah’s approval. They murder because they are holy and we are infidels and that’s just the way things gotta be.
I don’t buy that the Paul Johnson video is a ransom message. I have the sick feeling Mr. Johnson is already dead.
UPDATE: Joe Gandelman has more.
ANOTHER UPDATE: Even more from Wizbang.
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