Hostage Britons driven to freedom By Harry de Quetteville in Jerusalem (Filed: 31/12/2005)
Daily Telegraph The three Britons <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=4EOZLUFLODQLJQFIQMFCF FOAVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2005/12/30/wmid30.xml> kidnapped in the Gaza Strip were on their way to freedom last night, a British diplomat said. The kidnappers were reported to be driving them to Gaza City from the southern town of Rafah where Kate Burton and her parents, Hugh and Win, were <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml;jsessionid=4EOZLUFLODQLJQFIQMFCF FOAVCBQYIV0?xml=/news/2005/12/29/wpal29.xml> snatched by heavily armed men at dusk on Wednesday. British diplomats confirmed that Palestinian mediators had helped secure the release of the family who were said to be in "good condition". A picture of Kate Burton Kate Burton was kidnapped with her family in Gaza After being delivered to a meeting point in Gaza City they were due to be taken to the British consulate in Jerusalem for medical checks. The Foreign Office had put intense pressure on local officials to end the Burtons' ordeal. A chorus of condemnation from Palestinian officials and powerful militant groups in Gaza appeared to have helped the family's cause. Mediators were believed to have made contact with the kidnappers earlier yesterday. Palestinian police had vowed to free the Burtons, who are from Scotland, by force if necessary. But they admitted not having identified the group involved. Miss Burton, 24, has worked at the Al Mezan Centre for Human Rights for the past three months. She and her parents Hugh, 73 and Win, 55, who live in Belgium, were seized and bundled into a white car as they toured the chaotic southern Gaza town of Rafah, near the border with Egypt. Palestinian security forces gave chase but failed to stop the kidnappers. The Burtons' taxi driver said yesterday he had been forced to brake hard when the kidnappers blocked his path and ordered the family out of the car. Miss Burton reportedly told her parents that it was pointless to refuse, but her father had hesitated. He was then dragged out of the vehicle into a Mercedes. A Spanish teacher and friend of Miss Burton said he had called her 15 minutes after the abduction. She told him she knew where she was and not to worry. But later calls went unanswered. Confusion surrounded the abductors' motives. "They have not made any demand and they have not revealed their identities," said Alaa Hosni, a Palestinian police chief in Gaza. The Palestinian Authority was joined by the dominant militant group Hamas and the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade in denouncing the seizure, forming a unified front rarely seen in Palestinian internal affairs. This may have been behind the hostage-takers' silence, as they struggled to come up with an honourable way out. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> 1.2 million kids a year are victims of human trafficking. Stop slavery. http://us.click.yahoo.com/U6CDDD/izNLAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
