Al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia said Friday it killed American hostage Paul M. Johnson Jr, posting an Internet message that showed photographs of a beheaded body.
The statement, along with three images, was posted on a Web site where the group frequently makes announcements. It appeared around the time that a 72-hour deadline set by the kidnappers ended.
"In response to what we promised ... to kill the hostage Paul Marshall after the period is over ... the infidel got his fair treatment," the statement conveyed.
"Let him taste something from what Muslims tasted who were long reached by Apache helicopter fire and missiles," the statement said.
The body was later found just outside the capital, Riyadh, Saudi security officials said.
Johnson, who worked on Apache helicopter systems for Lockheed Martin, was kidnapped last weekend. Saudi security forces launched a comprehensive search, going door-to-door in some Riyadh neighborhoods.
President Bush condemned the beheading and vowed that "America will not be intimidated by these kinds of extremist thugs."
Vice President Dick Cheney also condemned the killers. "They have have no shame, not a shred of decency, and no mercy. America will hunt down the killers, one by one, and destroy them." (Albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
