Militant group says it has BBC man

May 09, 2007

The group calling itself the Army of Islam posted the audio recording on an Islamist website often used by al Qaeda. It included a photo of Alan Johnston's BBC staff card. The group is demanding the release of Muslim prisoners, including a radical cleric suspected of having close ties to al Qaeda. Abu Qatada, a Palestinian-Jordanian, is currently under house arrest in Britain, and is described by the UK government as a "significant international terrorist".