Kidnapped Russian engineer video's released

Thu Oct 24, 2013 12:20:27

Syrian militant kidnappers have set conditions in a horrific video for release of an abducted Russian citizen in Syria.

On Wednesday, the kidnappers placed on the Internet a video with the Russian to address to the Russian and Syrian authorities requesting to exchange him through the International Committee of the Red Cross on the citizen of Saudi Arabia.

Militant group of Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar ("Army of Emigrants and Supporters") urged the Syrian authorities to swap the Russian citizen with Saudi Arabia citizen Khalid Mohammed Suleiman who is in prison in the city of Hama.

Militant group of Jaish al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar is responsible for kidnapping of Russian engineer Sergei Gorbunov.

Gorbunov is featured as he is reading out a text asking the Russian and Syrian authorities to do so.

"If the exchange doesn’t take place, I’ll be stabbed," the man says.

“I am treated well and given food,” he says in the footage.

According to the man on the tape, he will be executed in five days if Moscow does not comply with the demand of his kidnappers.

“If they don’t exchange us in five days they are going to cut my throat. I am pleading with the presidents of Syria, Russia and on the Red Cross. I am very scared, I don’t even have a family of my own yet. I am afraid and I want to go home. Please help me.”

Russia and Damascus have not commented on this video yet.

If the alleged Sergei Gorbunov is truly a Russian national, the count of kidnapped Russians in Syria may rise to two people, after a famous Russian adventurer and blogger Konstantin Zhuravlyov was abducted by Syrian militants about a month ago.

NJF/NJF

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