Luke Somers, a man who identifies himself as an American citizen born in the United Kingdom, said in a new video purportedly released by al Qaeda that he is about to die — and that he needs “help that can get me out of this situation,” he said.
Reuters couldn’t confirm the video was genuine. But the news service said the video appears to have come from the Yemen branch of al Qaeda and includes statements from the man saying he had been kidnapped by the terror group more than a year ago.
Mr. Somers, 33, is a journalist.
In the video, a member of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, AQAP, condemned President Obama’s foreign policy as leading to the “massacres” of Muslim innocents with drones.
“We warn Obama and the American government of the consequences of proceeding ahead in any other foolish action,” Nasser bin Ali al-Ansi said in the video, Reuters reported. “We give the American government a timeframe of three days from the issuance of this statement to meet our demands about which they are aware; otherwise, the American hostage held by us will meet his inevitable fate.”
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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