British officials are in contact with Sheik Abu Qatada (pictured) an imprisoned cleric linked to Al-Qaida, to gain the release of Alan Johnston. AP writes:
The British government is in talks with a man once known as Osama bin Laden’s spiritual ambassador in Europe in an attempt to secure the release of kidnapped BBC correspondent Alan Johnston, the Foreign Office said Thursday.
“We have been in discussion with Abu Qatada via his lawyer with regards to making an appeal for his release,” said a Foreign Office spokeswoman speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government policy….
“I announce my full readiness to go on a trip to Gaza, with a delegation from BBC, to meet with the brothers, the abductors, concerning the release of the journalist Alan Johnson,” Qatada wrote in a letter sent to the Islamic Observatory Center.
A recent tape from Johnston’s kidnappers demanded Qatada’s release.
