Al Qaeda kills british hostage

by johnofgwent

No pictures for this one. As i sat down to breakfast this morning Radio 4 was running a "breaking news" item regarding an announcement that there is "strong reason to believe" Edwin Dyer, a Briton captured in Niger, and then taken to Mali, has been murdered by Al Qaeda.

I imagine Al-Jazeera will have the video ready for youtube anytime now.

The BBC report that Mr Dyer and a Swiss tourist were kidnapped in Niger, close to the border with Mali, after visiting a festival. What they did not say online, but did on the radio, was that mr Dyer's fellow captive was released after a ransom was paid. The radio news suggested no such ransom was paid for Mr Dyer but the rest of the story is that in fact his captors demanded the release of the Cult Of The Dead Paedophile's mouthpiece Abu Qatada.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown condemned what he called an "appalling and barbaric act of terrorism" and went on to say "My thoughts are with Edwin Dyer's family. I offer them the condolences of the whole country."Going on to say this act "reinforced Britain's "commitment to confront terrorism", Brown wrapped up his soudndbite to camera with the stock phrase "I want those who would use terror against British citizens to know beyond doubt that we and our allies will pursue them relentlessly, and that they will meet the justice they deserve," he said.

Cheers Gordon. I bet that means a lot coming as it does from a man who has lost control over the composition of his own cabinet in the run up to an election in which his party is going to get ritually slaughtered.

Does anyone remember "the iranian us hostage crisis" which came to a close ten minutes after the presidential term of an inept peanut farmer came to an end. The iranians chose to mock the US and it looks to me as if history ios repeating itself. Does anyone know if Gordon has a tax break in some agricultural enterprise ?