New Deadline on Hostages
April 3, 2007
The kidnappers snatched Hannelore Krause, 61, and her son, Sinan, on Feb. 6 from their home in Baghdad. Krause is married to an Iraqi doctor and worked for the Austrian Embassy. Sinan, in his mid-20s has dual German-Iraqi citizenship and was employed by the Iraqi foreign ministry.
The kidnappers belong to a previously unknown Islamist group and call themselves Kataeb Siham al-Haq (The Arrows of Righteousness).
German government condemns video
In the video released Monday, the two Germans are shown sitting on the floor. Krause offered an emotional plea that Germany and Austria comply with her kidnappers' demands, at one point crying.
"I urge the German people to help me in my difficult situation," Krause said, according to the Arabic translation of her comments. "Germany was safe before it got involved in this satanic coalition with America against what they call terrorism."
Krause said in the video she was targeted because she works for the Austrian embassy in Baghdad.
"Austria also has troops in Afghanistan and now I am going to be killed for that. I urge you to please help me."
Austria has five officers in Afghanistan. The country has no plans to add or withdraw troops from the country.
On Tuesday, the German Foreign Ministry condemned the video.
"It is really very difficult to watch how these people are humiliated on video," foreign ministry spokesman Martin Jäger told
a press briefing.
He said the ministry learnt of the video in the early hours of the morning, an hour after it was posted on the Internet, and
studied it overnight.
"Many of us did not sleep much last night. We will be meeting with the ministry's crisis team this afternoon to give our interpretation of the video and try to draw final conclusions about it," Jäger said.
Kidnappers set new deadline
A militant, who spoke off camera, said Berlin has until next week to take action on its demands.
"We are giving the German government another 10 days to begin withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan or we shall kill this criminal woman and her son who works in the Foreign Ministry of the government of (Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-) Maliki," the militant reportedly said.
The German government has refused to comment on the contents of the video, beyond saying it was aware of the latest demands and continues to work to get the two released.
"The emergency task force is dealing with it," a spokeswoman of the Foreign Ministry said early Tuesday.
Kidnappers had initially set a Feb. 21 deadline for Germany to withdraw troops. Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country will not abandon Afghanistan because of kidnappers.
"Naturally, given the situation, we are greatly concerned," Merkel said of the kidnapping victims. "We know what our commitment to the civilian rebuilding means to the Afghan government, and we should not be blackmailed by people who are terrorists."
Germany opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq, but does have approximately 3,000 troops in northern Afghanistan. The soldiers are there as part of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force.