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Kidnapped Fox Journalists Freed

Good news from Gaza. The two Fox News journalists kidnapped two weeks ago have been freed.

American correspondent Steve Centanni and cameraman Olaf Wiig of New Zealand were dropped off at Gaza City's Beach Hotel...Their captors, a previously unknown group calling itself the Holy Jihad Brigades, had demanded the release of all Muslims imprisoned by the U.S. by midnight Saturday in exchange for freeing the journalists. It was not immediately clear whether the kidnappers received anything in return for freeing the journalists.

The kidnappers' group affiliation is still being debated. The group identified itself as the Holy Jihad Brigades, but:

It also remained unclear whether the kidnappers were local militants, either with ties to Hamas or the rival Fatah movement, or sneaked into Gaza from outside. However, some Palestinian security officials said Sunday there were growing suspicions that the kidnappers were locals.

[hat tip Patriot Daily.]

Update: Here is the journalists' conversion video. Here's a video of Steve Centanni's first statement on release.

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    Re: Kidnapped Fox Journalists Freed (none / 0) (#1)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Sun Aug 27, 2006 at 09:25:44 AM EST
    I bet a lot of wingnuts are quite disappointed that these guys weren't beheaded. (sorry, couldn't resist giving them a taste of their own BS)

    Re: Kidnapped Fox Journalists Freed (none / 0) (#2)
    by jondee on Sun Aug 27, 2006 at 04:58:46 PM EST
    Possibly their captors were aware enough to know that working for Fox already requires a form of beheading.

    Re: Kidnapped Fox Journalists Freed (none / 0) (#3)
    by Johnny on Sun Aug 27, 2006 at 11:39:08 PM EST
    This is good news for sure! Sorry wing-nuts, they cheated you out of yet another reason to participate in irrational hatred of brown people. Time to rejoice in the ability of people of all races, religions, and political affiliation to practice mercy. May the gods bless all those who wished fervently for their safe return.

    Re: Kidnapped Fox Journalists Freed (none / 0) (#4)
    by Jlvngstn on Mon Aug 28, 2006 at 06:10:14 AM EST
    Great news. Irrespective of my thoughts on Fox News as a whole, journalists should be safe and left alone. The more dangerous it gets for reporters, the less likely any of them are to have any semblance of balance. Great news for their families.

    Re: Kidnapped Fox Journalists Freed (none / 0) (#5)
    by Edger on Mon Aug 28, 2006 at 10:00:20 AM EST
    Their captors, a previously unknown group calling itself the Holy Jihad Brigades, had demanded the release of all Muslims imprisoned by the U.S. by midnight Saturday in exchange for freeing the journalists.
    Since we have it on irrefutable authority from the wingnuts who assure us repeatedly that ya cain't negoshiate with these crazy murderin' muslims - we have to kill 'em all!, perhaps one of them can enlighten me: When did the U.S. release all of the Muslims it has in captivity?

    Re: Kidnapped Fox Journalists Freed (none / 0) (#6)
    by Edger on Mon Aug 28, 2006 at 11:42:04 AM EST
    Awfully quiet from the right over here...

    Re: Kidnapped Fox Journalists Freed (none / 0) (#7)
    by Richard Aubrey on Tue Aug 29, 2006 at 09:00:38 AM EST
    Okay, edger. The report was that they were unharmed. Do you call a forced conversion "unharmed"? Let's send some Baptist preachers to Gitmo and forcibly dunk some of the inmates and see what you think of "unharmed". Glad they got out alive. Recently, a Muslim school teacher sent a letter to the Lansing Journal explaining that Islam is not to be gotten out of. The penalty is death. (She didn't make this crap up, btw.) So, do these guys qualify as Muslims now? Can they show their faces in a church or synagogue without activating a death fatwa? I imagine we'll hear a bunch of Muslim clergy saying it's okay, no conversion, no apostasy. But, on account of now wanting to roil the waters, we won't hear much from those who say what the school teacher said. I'd like to know how much shoulder-looking-over these guys are anticipating. And what it means if they go to a Muslim area or country any time soon. But, anyway, they weren't harmed, and thank God for that. Nick Berg was sufficient to make the point. More beheaded innocents won't make it any stronger, since it was pretty clear with Nick. This does indicate why the journos--as Eason Jordan said--slant their coverage. Access and life. Two pretty important factors.

    Re: Kidnapped Fox Journalists Freed (none / 0) (#8)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Tue Aug 29, 2006 at 09:27:49 AM EST
    Do you call a forced conversion "unharmed"? I was about to say the only thing it appears to have harmed is your ability to comprehend the obvious... but on second thought that might be assuming too much of your powers of comprehension of the meaning of statements made under extreme duress. Professing conversion at gunpoint to save their skins appears to have been one of probably many things that helped win their release. And yes, it is a good thing they weren't beheaded. That would certainly be a horrible and unforgiveable thing to do to them. You just can't negotiate with these people.

    Re: Kidnapped Fox Journalists Freed (none / 0) (#9)
    by Edger on Tue Aug 29, 2006 at 09:32:09 AM EST
    The 10:27 AM comment above was mine.