"The Kidnapers Are Connected to Romania"

Jurnalul National: How do you comment on the fact that Al-Jazeera announced it will get directly involved in the freeing operations of the Romanian kidnapped journalists?

Mohammed Reda Al Shock: Al-Jazeera is a very powerful trust. They, in the Arab world, are more important than CNN. In the case of Iraq, they’ve created some connections due to which they get to information first, and communicate with variously oriented groups. When the journalists’ solidarity is the issue, the ones at Al-Jazeera intervene for saving their colleagues. As far as I know, they were also involved in freeing some other colleagues, too. If they will cooperate with the Romanian authorities, it might be a positive thing.

How do you comment upon the difference between the video tape and the pictures appeared today?

I think the people who kidnapped the journalists are beginners, and with a lack of experience. Moreover, I believe they have connections with someone in Romania who tells them about the reactions of the authorities and public opinion in here. This makes me believe this is a suspect story and this kidnapping might have been premeditated long time before. The images with cheap blankets probably filmed with the camera of the Prima TV cameraman have been filmed in a hurry, after the appearance of a false rumor regarding the ransom. The pictures appeared after that with the less relaxed journalists have been sent in order to increase the pressure for the kidnappers to be able to ask for more money. If you ask me, the kidnappers are some frauds who want money. There is a high risk for them to be offered the money by some real, fanatic terrorists that don’t have anything to do with Allah, nor with the Iraqi people. This is the great danger: the Romanian journalists might get in the hands of an international terrorist network.