MOSCOW, December 4 (Sputnik) – Al-Qaeda's Yemen affiliate released a new three minutes video on YouTube on Wednesday night, in which the leader makes a speech in Arabic and then shows an American hostage on camera for the first time since his capture last year, reports The New York Times.
Luke Somers, a 33 year old dual British-US photojournalist was kidnapped in Sana, the Yemeni capital, in September 2013. Mr. Somers had been working in Yemen as a photojournalist and as a translator for more than two years when he was kidnapped under unknown circumstances.
In the three minutes video he appeared in the last 30 seconds. He was wearing glasses and a purple shirt and seemed collected as he directly addressed the camera. “I’m looking for any help that can get me out of this situation,” he said. “I’m certain that my life is in danger. So as I sit here now, I ask if anything can be done, please let it be done. Thank you very much.”
“We warn Obama and the American government of the consequences of proceeding ahead in any other foolish action,” he said.
According to The New York Times, al-Qaeda and its direct affiliates have made at least $125 million in revenue from kidnappings since 2008, of which $66 million was paid in 2013. The investigation found that the payments were made almost entirely by European governments, reports The New York Times.
The video’s existence was first reported by SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors terrorist activity online.
