Concern grows for US man kidnapped in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD?? Concern was growing Friday for the safety of American development expert Warren Weinstein, who was kidnapped from home in Pakistan in August.

Al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri said in an audio recording issued on Islamist websites late Thursday that his organization had captured "this man who has had an active part in American aid to Pakistan since the seventies."

However, sources told NBC News on Friday that there were strong indications that Weinstein, 70, had been passed to a dreaded faction of the Pakistani Taliban.

They said he was presently in the custody of militants led by Commander Tariq Afridi, operating in the gun-manufacturing, semi-autonomous tribal region of Darra Adamkhel.

It is the same militant group that kidnapped a Polish engineer, Piotr Stancza, from Attock area of Punjab province on Sept. 28, 2009. Stancza was later executed after their demands for money and a release of prisoners were not met by the government.

Some sources said that Weinstein was kidnapped by another group and later sold to Afridi, NBC News reported.

Ruthless
He is considered the most ruthless among his militant colleagues and is known for his harsh policies.

In the al-Qaida Internet statement, Zawahri said the group's demands for Weinstein's release included the release of all those held by the United States at the Guantanamo detention center and all others imprisoned for ties to al-Qaida or the Taliban. The statement was translated by the SITE group, which says it monitors the "jihadist threat."

He also demanded an end to air strikes by the United States and its allies against militants in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia and Gaza.

Zawahri specifically demanded the release of high-profile militants including Ramzi Yousef, imprisoned in the United States for the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, and Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman, serving a life sentence for plotting to attack the U.N. headquarters and other New York City landmarks.

"Your problem is not with us but with (President Barack) Obama. We have raised fair demands. ... So continue to pressure Obama, if you want your relative to be handed back," Zawahri said, addressing Weinstein's family, according to SITE.

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The audio recording, which was issued on Islamist websites, also said that a senior al-Qaida leader based in Pakistan known as Attiyatullah had been killed in a U.S. air strike in August.

"Just as the Americans detain all whom they suspect of links to al-Qaida and the Taliban, even remotely, we detained this man who has had an active part in American aid to Pakistan since the seventies," Zawahiri added.

Video: Al-Qaida: We?ve kidnapped an American (on this page)

He said that Attiyatullah, a Libyan militant whose real name was Jamal Ibrahim Ashtiwi al-Misrati, escaped a first air strike but was killed along with his son Issam in a second bombing on August 23.

"He was martyred, may God have mercy on him ... by bombing by a crusader spy plane," Zawahri said.

'We remain concerned'
The U.S. State Department is aware of the statement and continues to work with Pakistani authorities leading the investigation, a spokeswoman said.

Weinstein had been working on a project in Pakistan's northwestern tribal areas where Pakistani troops have been battling Islamist insurgents for years.

"We remain concerned for Mr. Weinstein's safety and well-being," said Joanne Moore, spokeswoman for the State Department.

Story: 'Enough is enough': Grieving Pakistan questions its role in US war on terror

The government had been in contact with Weinstein's family in the United States, she said.

"U.S. officials, including the FBI, are assisting in the Pakistani-led investigation," she said, declining to give additional information on the case due to privacy considerations.

"The United States condemns kidnappings of any kind and we call for the immediate release of the individual and the prosecution of those responsible," Moore said.

Zawahri succeeded Osama bin Laden after he was killed in an operation by U.S. forces in Pakistan in May after a decade-long worldwide hunt.

NBC News and Reuters contributed to this report.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45521349/ns/world_news-south_and_central_asia/

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