American hostage pleads for his life
Jordan Somers indirectly
puts the question to al Qaeda militants in Yemen in a video message, in
which he and his mother plead with them to let American Luke Somers go.
The Islamists have
threatened to kill the photo journalist who fell into their hands in
September last year, if Washington doesn't meet their demands.
"We have no explanation
as to why Luke was targeted as a victim, and we currently don't know why
he is being held," Jordan Somers tells them.
Photos: Americans detained abroad
He wants his captors to
believe that his brother is a good man who cares about Yemenis. "He has
made many lasting friends in Yemen," he says.
Special forces raid
A raid by U.S. and Yemeni special forces last month that freed eight hostages could have also rescued Luke Somers, but a move by his captors prevented it.
Then this week, al Qaeda
in the Arabian Peninsula, or AQAP, released the video threatening his
life and showing Somers pleading for it.
Nasser bin Ali al-Ansi,
who read a statement for al Qaeda in the video, did not name the demands
the terrorist group expects the U.S. government to meet, but said that
Washington knows what they are.
Special forces planned
the raid after al Qaeda militants were spotted transferring the hostages
into pickups, "chained and covered in blankets," according to a website
associated with Yemen's defense ministry.
Militants drove them to a cave over 65 miles away from the town of Hajir al-Saiyer.
U.S. and Yemeni special
forces outfitted with night visors embarked on the mission about four
miles from the cave. They encountered the kidnappers near its entrance; a
gun battle ensued, and the special forces killed all seven abductors.
They also freed eight
chained up hostages, who told them that militants had moved five more
hostages to another location, according to the Yemeni defense ministry
account. That included Somers.
'We mean no harm'
His brother Jordan asks the AQAP militants not to fault Somers or his family.
"He is not responsible
for any actions that the U.S. government has taken. Please understand
that we had no prior knowledge of the rescue attempt for Luke, and we
mean no harm to anyone," Jordan Somers said.
The Yemeni account did
not mention the U.S. Special Forces, but a U.S. official confirmed their
participation. CNN, at the request of the government, delayed reporting
the information about the raid, so as not to endanger the search for
Somers and the other hostages at that time.
Somers appeared in the AQAP video asking for help and identifying himself.
"My name is Luke Somers.
I'm 33 years old. I was born in England, but I carry American
citizenship and have lived in America for most of my life," he said.
Mother's plea
He was dressed in a nice shirt and at least appeared clean and healthy. This did not escape his mother.
"We note that you have
taken good care of Luke, and he appears healthy. We thank you for that,"
Paula Somers says in the family's response video to AQAP.
"Please show mercy and give us an opportunity to see our Luke again. He is all that we have," she says.
She tells her son that the family is doing all it can to help him. They want to hold him safe in their arms again.
Source: cnn
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