Hostage 'has 48 hours'
2005-12-06 16:16
Doha - A militant group, the Islamic Army in Iraq, has claimed the kidnapping of a United States national.
The group has threatened to kill him within 48 hours unless all prisoners are released in Iraq, according to Al-Jazeera television.
The Qatar-based satellite television showed a videotape of a blonde man with his arms tied behind his back seated on a white plastic chair, and the cover of a US passport and a bank card in the name of Ronald Schulz.
The group is a Sunni Arab extremist group which has claimed several kidnappings and murders.
In Tuesday's claim, the group said the hostage was a security advisor to Iraq's housing and construction ministry.
According to Al-Jazeera, the group also demanded that compensation be paid to the restive Al-Anbar province of western Iraq, the scene of several US offensives against insurgents.