SANA, Yemen — Al-Qaeda’s branch in Yemen threatened an American hostage who was the target of a rescue attempt by U.S. special forces last month, warning Washington in a video released Thursday not to try again and giving three days to meet unspecified demands.
“My life is in danger,” photojournalist Luke Somers says in the footage, which appeared to mimic hostage videos released by the Islamic State.
It was the first word from the 33-year-old since he was snatched from the streets of Sana more than a year ago. He had been working for nearly three years in the impoverished Arab nation, “living as a normal Yemeni,” friends and colleagues said.
A statement by Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby acknowledged for the first time Thursday that a raid last month had sought to rescue Somers but that he turned out not to be at the site.
White House spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan also said Thursday that President Barack Obama had authorized a rescue operation to free Somers and other hostages but “regrettably, Luke was not present.”
In the three-minute video, Somers appears somber and gives a brief statement in English, asking for help.
“It’s now been well over a year since I’ve been kidnapped in Sana,” Somers says. “Basically, I’m looking for any help that can get me out of this situation. I’m certain that my life is in danger. So as I sit here now, I ask, if anything can be done, please let it be done. Thank you very much.”
Also speaking in the video, an al-Qaeda commander, Nasser bin Ali al-Ansi, denounced American “crimes” against the Muslim world, including U.S.-led airstrikes against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
He condemned the rescue attempt, calling it a “foolish action” and warned against any more such “stupidities.” He acknowledged that an “elite group of mujahedeen,” or holy warriors, were killed in the operation.
Al-Ansi gave the U.S. three days to meet al-Qaeda’s demands or “otherwise, the American hostage held by us will meet his inevitable fate.” He did not elaborate or explicitly say Somers would be killed.
Al-Ansi did not specify the group’s demands but said the U.S. is “aware” of them.
Kirby did not elaborate on the joint U.S-Yemeni operation to free Somers, saying details remained classified. However, officials said at the time the raid by U.S. special forces and Yemeni troops targeted a remote al-Qaeda safe haven in a desert region near the Saudi border. Eight captives — including Yemenis, a Saudi and an Ethiopian — were freed. Somers, a Briton and four others had been moved days earlier.
