American Al-Qaeda Captive Makes Video Plea to Obama: ‘My Life Is In Your Hands, Mr. President’
- Posted on May 7, 2012 at 8:21am by
Billy Hallowell
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In an image provided by IntelCenter a still from the video released Sunday by al-Qaeda of American hostage Warren Weinstein Weinstein said said he will be killed unless President Barack Obama agrees to the militant group's demands. (AP Photo/IntelCenter)
WASHINGTON (The Blaze/AP) — In a video released Sunday by al-Qaida, American hostage Warren Weinstein said he will be killed unless President Barack Obama agrees to the militant group’s demands.
“My life is in your hands, Mr. President,” Weinstein said in the video. “If you accept the demands, I live; if you don’t accept the demands, then I die.”
Weinstein was abducted last August in Lahore, Pakistan, after gunmen tricked his guards and broke into his home. The 70-year-old from Rockville, Md., is the country director in Pakistan for J.E. Austin Associates, a Virginia-based firm that advises a range of Pakistani business and government sectors.
In a video message posted on militant websites in December, al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri said Weinstein would be released if the United States stopped airstrikes in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia and Yemen. He also demanded the release of all al-Qaida and Taliban suspects around the world.
ABC News has more:
The White House had no comment Monday on al-Qaida‘s demands or Weinstein’s plea.
The SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militant messages, said Al-Sahab, al-Qaida’s media arm, posted the Weinstein video on jihadist forums Sunday.
“It‘s important you accept the demands and act quickly and don’t delay,” Weinstein said in the video, addressing Obama. “There’ll be no benefit in delaying, it will just make things more difficult for me.”
He also appealed to Obama as a father. If the president responds to the militants’ demands, Weinstein said, “then I will live and hopefully rejoin my family and also enjoy my children, my two daughters, like you enjoy your two daughters.”
After his kidnapping, Weinstein’s company said he was in poor health and provided a detailed list of medications, many of them for heart problems, that it implored the kidnappers to give him.
In the video released Sunday, Weinstein said he would like his wife, Elaine, to know “I’m fine, I’m well, I’m getting all my medications, I’m being taken care of.”
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Comments (77)
mikenleeds
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 11:12amfriend if your depending on king obama to do anything to help you other than raising your taxes you are dreaming , try to escape
Report Post »jungle J
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 10:52amonly soldiers need to be in foriegn countries right now…you must be armed and in large numbers with air power to survive a war….he is collateral damge unfortunately but he went there voluntarily.
Report Post »thegreatcarnac
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 10:38amLet’s analyze this. The man would be considered caucasian by color and he has a Jewish name……Obama is not going to raise an eyebrow to rescue him.
Report Post »EqualJustice
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 10:37am“The 70-year-old from Rockville, Md., is the country director in Pakistan for J.E. Austin Associates, a Virginia-based firm that advises a range of Pakistani business and government sectors.”
Report Post »By ALL means, let’s help these terrorists get THEIR economy up and running with our tax dollars! So what if we lose a few good men in the process. “After more than a decade of war, it is time to focus on nation-building here at home,” – OBAMA, which nation were you talking about here? YOUR homeland or OURS?
v15
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 10:21amPresident Obama, even though YOU are a terrorist, the United States does not negotiate with terrorists. There should be no exceptions. If you know where this guy is, then send the SEALS in to rescue him, kill all terrorists in the immediate vicinity, extract, and then send in an immediate airstrike or bombing raid. If the remaining terrorists should run into a mosque, then blow that up too.
Report Post »Wolf
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 3:17pmOh, come now: you can’t expect the Turd to really care about an American in enemy hands. Do you? Especially when the guy is working to- hopefully- make the country a more decent place to live. Not that it’ll ever happen. The guy’s been there since last year- he may as well sign his will and let the family divvy the spoils as wait for the Turd to do something.
Report Post »BumperMorgan
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 10:19amSorry Old Dude, but you are toast.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 11:12amObama may get NYU to give him a teaching position and then wash his hands of the whole thing.
Report Post »blanco5
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 9:58amWith the white black prez islama in power, this poor man has no chance.
Report Post »bigben357mag
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 10:27amnope! About as much chance as a snowball in hell!
Report Post »chips1
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 2:14pmSnowball is a racist word. That is unless you include yellow snow.
Report Post »Wolf
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 3:22pmDon’t play with yellow snow- it could contain meth.
Report Post »conservativemom99
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 9:35amObama won’t save a 70-year-old…
Report Post »chips1
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 2:16pmHe probably asked his death panel.
Report Post »zoro51
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 9:35amsillly to apeal to a SOCIALIST yet this one is CATERING to MURDERING MUSLUMS for he BARAK HUSSEAIN OBAMA gave 1.4 mill to pALESTIANIANS.. 770 MILL TO REBUILD TOWERS OF HATE N DEATH MUSLUMS TEMPLES.. what else will wil this MUSLUM SUCK UP do to america.. OH lets PLEA for our lives.. th4ey have NO please fror AMERICAN LIVES.. so EXTERMINATE them send them to HELL where there is NO allah but HITLER BIN LADEN N OH YEAH SATAN….. IMPEACH OBAMA NOW
Report Post »BeingThere
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 9:32amThis plea only means that Hussein will make sure that it is understood that none of the dangerous insurgents he is releasing get traded for Mr. Weinstein.
Report Post »BurntHills
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 9:23amthat poor man was foolish to leave America to start, and obama will never cross his dear pakistan if the action does not promise him good campaign PR. ………… research proves most of obama’s college buddies he stuck with were all elite wealthy pakistanis who went on into big business, and he even warmly mentioned in his book his wormy gay pakistani college roomie named Sohale Siddiqi, who is the guy cozily snuggling up with obama on that sofa in the photo on the internet. [oh yeah, 2 straight men will really snuggle up together on a sofa like that, yeah sure, and the moon is made of bleu cheese.]
Report Post »BurntHills
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 9:32am…In Dreams from My Father, he talks of having a Pakistani roommate when he moved to New York, a man he calls Sadik (Sohale Siddiqi) who had overstayed his tourist visa and now made a living in New York’s high-turnover, illegal immigrant work force, waiting on tables”… During his years at Occidental College, Mr. Obama also befriended Wahid Hamid, a fellow student who was an immigrant from Pakistan and traveled with Mr. Obama there, the Obama campaign said. Mr. Hamid is now a vice president at Pepsico in New York, and according to public records, has donated the maximum $2,300 to the Obama campaign and is listed as a fund-raiser for it. Mr. Chandoo is now a self-employed financial consultant, living in Armonk, N.Y. He has also donated the maximum, $2,300, to Mr. Obama’s primary campaign and an additional $309 for the 2008 general election, campaign finance records show. [there is more, do your own homework]
Report Post »mils
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 9:42amwhen you go to a foreign country like pakistan..you are taking your life ino your own hands. the money may be good, but not worth the danger
Report Post »The “demands” are riduclous…they know it.
it seems a cloud of hatred, danger has decended on our planet, completely covering it..
polnick
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 9:21amImams must be put on the US payroll in order to gain friendship in the Muslim world. The feeding hand rules the world.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 9:21amI feel bad for the man and his family, but with a name like Weinstein, he should know better than to be working in Muslim lands.
Report Post »HorseCrazy
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 11:48amI agree gonzo. hey mr president get Bowe Bergdahl home, you know the prisoner of war that has been gone for years now? how about taking care of our service men and women? the POW’s?!
Report Post »chips1
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 2:24pmGONZO:
Report Post »Maybe he should have changed his name, like Obama did.
BurntHills
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 9:14amobama does not give a dang about this man, esp since he‘s an American and moreso since he’s named Weinstein. obama is too busy with his golfing and campaigning and LYING..
Report Post »MiCurmudgeon
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 9:06amSend him his own personal drone or Seal Team.
Report Post »pwatkins
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 9:05amObama is using him for an excuse to carry this sercret agreement he made in Kabul…my perspective anyway.
Report Post »http://worldnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/07/11572371-report-secret-us-program-releases-afghan-insurgents-in-exchange-for-peace-pledges?lite
TexasIndependant
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 8:50amI dont get why people dont carry guns to protect themselves is my first thought, and my second thought is why dont people shoot first and ask questions later. I can promise you I will never be a hostage. I might be dead if they tried to take me hostage, but you’d definitely read about the shoot out and how many people died in the news the next morning. Go to a foreign country that hates you, sit back and wait for your demise defenseless, then tell someone else your life is in their hands, PRICELESS!
Report Post »jhaydeng
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 8:58amI’ll never understand it myself. It’s that kumbaya mentality! People forget about this little thing called history!
Report Post »HaroldHeard
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 9:00amI agree; remembering that they are in a country that makes carrying guns illegal. Governments have always feared a well-armed civilian state.
Report Post »PapaPatriarch
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 9:03amHe had guards… “after gunmen tricked his guards and broke into his home.”, and his wife and kids are probably there too. Did you even read this story before posting? and B.T.W. is it even legal for him to carry a gun in Afganistan? i’m not sure.
Report Post »pastorrick
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 9:11amAn interesting point here is that this man was taken in Pakistan and most likely being held there. al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri comments on the video and we could assume with assurance he is in Pakistanm as was Ben Ladin…….and why do we give this terriorist camp of a nation US taw dolars?
Report Post »Dismayed Veteran
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 3:02pmBasic rule of working as an expatriate: Don’t go to countries where Americans are kidnapped and/or killed.
Anyone who violates this rule has painted “victim in waiting” in big letters on their forehead.
Report Post »kryptonite
Posted on May 8, 2012 at 12:35am“…tricked his guards,” you say? You didn’t actually believe that part of the story, did you?
Pakistanis are Muslims. They hate Jews. They hate Americans. They especially hate American Jews. But libs never learn. This will be Daniel Pearl all over again.
Report Post »barber2
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 8:49amThank you, Mr. President for all of your waffling . For announcing our exit date during a war. For emboldening our enemies . For insulting our allies. For allowing the Gitmo butchers to entertain us with their media circus. You and Holder are a disgrace to your offices . You endanger the American people and the Constitution you vowed to defend and protect.
Report Post »momrules
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 8:58amAnd he does it with pride, Barber2, with pride and no fear.
Report Post »yougottabekidding
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 9:02amWarren Weinstein
I am sorry for your plight I wish you god speed.
Report Post »You chose to be there in this god forsacken country, you knew the risks! Why should countless people now have their lives put in jepordy for you?
If you are counting on Hussain to help you even more good luck, he has bungled his trust by this country. He is killing us all!
RedDirtTexas
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 8:48amMay God be with you sir! But there are risks you take when you deal with Pakistan. Hope you make it!
Report Post »Kara_ite
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 9:18amExactly, like if you chose to drive in any large city in the northeastern USA, LOL. Or if you are a neighborhood watch chief in Florida. Or if you are a fetus inside of a promicuous woman here in the USA. (over 50,000,000 killed by their own mothers here in the USA by tax payers money).
Report Post »IndyGuy
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 8:47amSorry Weinstein,You knew you were going to a dangerous country…Consider yourself collateral damage…
Report Post »PapaPatriarch
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 8:45amPolitically this should be Pakistans problem, they sould get him back and clean thier own house, and if anything happens to him they sould be responsible to the fullest extent.
Report Post »Mutiny
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 8:41amThis is a very sad situation because we cannot deal with these people. Maybe Pakistan would be willing to uses their people and go rescue this guy if we cut off the money the left and the right have promised them in foreign aid. I mean we are giving them 7.5 billion in aid over the next 5 years you would think that could buy us something.
Report Post »chips1
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 2:47pm7.5 billion and you can’t even get a discount at 7-11.
Report Post »super redhawk
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 8:38amWhat a putz. I’d rather they cut off my head than ask the HNIC to cave on their demands. No negotiating with terrorists.
Report Post »PapaPatriarch
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 8:50amI can’t blame him because they probably have some threats on his family members that are there.
Report Post »B.T.W. what does this mean “The 70-year-old from Rockville, Md., is the country director in Pakistan for J.E. Austin Associates, a Virginia-based firm that advises a range of Pakistani business and government sectors.”
super redhawk
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 8:56amIt means he is a traitor.
Report Post »super redhawk
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 9:00amWhat would be better for the country? Should we cave to their demands, or let them behead Mr. W?
Report Post »PapaPatriarch
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 9:22amIf the sharpshooter in chief can get O.B.L. singlehandedly can’t he get this guy outta there>? Actually i think Pakistan should be sending THIER special ops in to get him out and NOW!
Report Post »mike_trivisonno
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 10:00amAnd we are not deporting muslims from our lands because…
With each decapitation, with every ounce of blood spilled, with every child slaughtered, the muslims reveal the nature of the god they worship and the soulless bodies they inhabit. Pure evil.
We do not need to explain or reason with those that have abandoned that which makes them human.
Report Post »kickagrandma
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 8:34amOh, b*** s***!
What I’d give if your stinking, godless life were in my hands, huevon! your life is NOT in the traitor-in- chief’s hands. your worthless self is in GOD’s hands, and HE IS asking my opinion!!!
Report Post »PapaPatriarch
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 8:51amHe was tortured and given a script, and told his wife and children will die next….
Report Post »whatthecrazy
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 12:48pmWow grandma u ok? u don’t sound like your usual self.By now this poor man sees the mistake he has made and deeply regrets it.He will likely meet his fate soon for this decision.God bless
Report Post »momrules
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 8:33amThe next video we see will be the beheading of Mr. Weinstein. Obama does not care about AMERICAN prisoners held by these savages, he is much more interested in the comfort of terrorists at Gitmo.
Where is Bowe Bergdahl? Are you looking for him? He is an American soldier, a POW since June 30, 2009 but I doubt that Obama has ever heard his name.
Report Post »PapaPatriarch
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 8:55amThere is no way we could ever meet that ridiculous list of demands, they probably just want a million U.S dollars and some explosives so they can take more hostages…Afganistan should pay every penny of this, I think we keep visiting Afganistani’s safe when they visit us.
Report Post »momrules
Posted on May 7, 2012 at 9:16am@PAPA………..I know that we cannot meet their demands. My point is that Obama will move Heaven and Earth to help our enemies but is uncaring about Americans in the hands of the enemy. But you are right…….the kidnappers know we can’t and will not comply.
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