Ramallah, West Bank – Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says he has “credible evidence” that a BBC journalist kidnapped a month ago in the Gaza Strip is alive and well, the BBC’s top executive said Thursday.
The journalist, Alan Johnston, has been missing since gunmen forced him from his car in Gaza City on March 12. His captivity is believed to be the longest of any journalist in the unruly coastal territory.
Johnston, the only foreign reporter based in Gaza, was snatched just weeks before he was scheduled to end his three- year stint there.
Abbas’ assurance to British Broadcasting Corp. director Mark Thompson at a meeting Wednesday in Ramallah was the first official indication that the kidnappers had sent any information about the journalist.
The captors are believed to be communicating through intermediaries; Thompson said there had been no direct contact with them.
The BBC executive said at a news conference that Abbas “could not shed any light” on why Johnston is being held, but “he assured me that Palestinian authorities are fully engaged with Alan’s case and are working to resolve it as soon as possible.”
Thursday the BBC organized a “day of action” to press for Johnston’s release.
In an unusual joint effort, BBC World, Sky News and the English-language service of the Arab satellite channel al-Jazeera aired a 30-minute live telecast, anchored in Ramallah, with reporting on the kidnapping case and threats facing journalists around the world.
From London, the journalist’s father, Graham Johnston, read an appeal to those holding him.
“You have families. Please think about what this is doing to my family,” he said.
He also told his son not to worry about his family and to maintain hope.
“Chin up, my son,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
