An Islamic Web site screened a videotape of an American hostage in Saudi Arabia, saying he would be killed unless the Saudi government freed all its al-Qaeda detainees by tomorrow night.
Paul Johnson, 49, of Stafford Township, New Jersey, was abducted Saturday by a group calling itself al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The organization is believed to be run by al-Qaeda's chief in the kingdom, Abdulaziz Issa Abdul-Mohsin al-Moqrin, who was identified as speaking on the tape that appeared on the Web site late Tuesday.
"My name is Paul Marshall Johnson, Jr.," the blindfolded hostage says in the tape, his head in profile and an elaborate tattoo on his left shoulder. "I am an American ... I work on Apache helicopters."
The tape, which was first aired by CNN, displayed Johnson's identification card for Lockheed Martin, his employer.
A US official said the threat should be taken "very seriously" because the posting appeared credible.
"It has been a good indicator in the past," the official said in Washington, speaking on the condition of anonymity.
Saudi Arabia's ruling crown prince warned Islamic militants Tuesday that the kingdom planned to deploy more security forces than they had ever faced before.
"Be assured that the kingdom has enough men whom you haven't seen so far, but within the coming few days you will see them," Crown Prince Abdullah told the militants.
The Internet tape also showed a man in a black hood reading a statement and holding an AK-47 rifle. As he read, a subtitle identified him as al-Moqrin.
His words were similar to a printed statement on the Web site issued in the name of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The statement said the holy warriors of the Arabian peninsula's Fallujah Brigade have "hit" the engineering team that "oversees the development of the American Apache helicopter that attacks Muslims in Palestine and Afghanistan."
"The Fallujah Brigade has killed the director of this team and kidnapped one of its engineers, Paul Johnson, and if the tyrannical Saudi government wants their American master to be released, then they have to release our holy warriors that are held in Ha'ir, Ruweis and Alisha prisons within 72 hours of this statement's date or else we will sacrifice his blood to God in revenge for our Muslim brothers who have been liberally killed everywhere," the statement said.
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