Fatah holding kidnapped journalists, report says

GAZA - New Zealand cameraman Olaf Wiig and American television reporter Steve Centanni are being held in a refugee camp near Gaza City by members of a Fatah militia, it was reported today.

Wiig and correspondent Steve Centanni were taken from the Gaza strip on August 14 by gunmen.

Palestinian Authority security sources and Hamas activists have told the Jerusalem Post that a top Hamas activist said his movement's investigations had shown the two journalists were initially kidnapped by members of one of the Palestinian Authority's own security forces.

"The kidnappers, who wanted to put pressure on the Palestinian leadership to pay them their salaries, later handed the two over to Fatah gunmen," he said. "They are now being held in one of the refugee camps near Gaza City."

Wiig's wife, television presenter Anita McNaught, made a fresh appeal for the release of him and his Fox News colleague overnight, a day after a video tape of the two men was issued by their captors.

Speaking before meeting Palestinian Prime Minister Ismael Haniyeh, McNaught urged the hostage-takers to understand that her husband and Centanni, were not their enemies.

"Olaf and Steve have always worked for the interest of the Palestinian people, they came here to support you by telling your story," she said.

"I do not question that you who are holding them have suffered greatly, as everyone in Gaza -- in the Palestinian territories -- is suffering, but these two men are not responsible for the injustices that you speak of, and they should not be punished for them."

Wiig, 36, and American Centanni, 60, were seized as they were working on a story in central Gaza City. Theirs is the longest-lasting abduction in Gaza in more than a year.

Yesterday, the previously unknown Holy Jihad Brigades claimed responsibility for the kidnapping and gave the United States 72 hours to free Muslim prisoners or else the captives would face unspecified consequences.

Deadline

The deadline is set to expire on Saturday.

The videotape showed the men, dressed in tracksuits, sitting on a blanket in front of a black background. They appeared fairly relaxed and in good health. Both said that they were fine and being treated well.

Several Palestinian militant groups active in Gaza, including Islamic Jihad and Hamas, the group that runs the Palestinian government, have previously denied any involvement with the kidnapping and have said the men should be freed.

Haniyeh, a senior figure in Hamas, told reporters that the abductions went against the values of the Palestinian people and condemned the hostage-takers.

"We express our total rejection to the style of kidnapping. It contradicts the traditions, the values and the morals of our people," Haniyeh said.

"The Palestinian people have always limited their struggle to the fight against the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land" and never made demands that don't bare any relation to the struggle against occupation, he said.

The tape released by the Holy Jihad Brigades bore hallmarks of hostage videos issued by Iraqi insurgent groups, leading to suggestions that the Jihad Brigades could be inspired by al Qaeda or other ultra-Islamist militant groups.

But security analysts warned against simplistic comparisons, saying that while some inspiration may have been drawn from al Qaeda, including the heavily religious language and references to the Koran, the group was likely independent.

"They are serious, but not al Qaeda serious," said Henry Wilkinson, a terrorism analyst at Janusian Security in London.

"There has been talk of al Qaeda breaking into the Palestinian territories, but it's more a rumour. It's not to be ignored, but there doesn't appear to be a connection."

- REUTERS, NZPA