Egypt ambassador 'to be killed' A statement claiming the kidnap of Egypt's ambassador to Iraq by an Islamist group has announced he will be killed as an "apostate". The website message, which was signed by the al-Qaeda in Iraq group, came after Ihab al-Sherif's ID cards appeared on the internet.
Mr Sherif, the posting said, had been judged by the group's Islamic court. It described Egypt, the biggest Arab state and a strategic US partner, as an ally of "Jews and Christians". The message did not appear to offer any conditions for sparing the life of the envoy, who was seized in Baghdad on Saturday as he bought a newspaper. "The sharia court of al-Qaeda in Iraq has decided to hand over the apostate, the ambassador of Egypt which is allied to Jews and Christians, to the mujahideen to carry out the punishment of the apostate ... and to kill him," it said. Al-Qaeda in Iraq has claimed responsibility for many of the biggest attacks of the insurgency, and the execution-style killing of hostages. Its leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, is one of Iraq's most wanted men, with a US bounty of $25m on his head. Fears for diplomats The pictures posted earlier include the ambassador's driving license, and foreign ministry and health insurance cards. "These are the identification cards of the ambassador of tyrants," an accompanying statement said. The family of Mr Sherif has pleaded for his safe return while Cairo appealed to the kidnappers to treat him well. Egypt is the first Arab country to upgrade diplomatic ties with Iraq, which were largely broken while Saddam Hussein was in power. Two other diplomats from mainly Muslim countries - Pakistan and Bahrain - survived separate attacks on their cars in Baghdad on Tuesday. The United States embassy in the city has urged other foreign diplomats not to be intimidated by such attacks. "We believe it's important for the international community to show support for the Iraqis by establishing and maintaining a diplomatic presence," said embassy spokesman Adam Hobson. His words were echoed by Iraqi Interior Minister Baqir Solagh who said there was a government plan "to protect diplomats after these incidents". Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/4656877.stm Published: 2005/07/06 15:18:34 GMT © BBC MMV Post message: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe : [EMAIL PROTECTED] List owner : [EMAIL PROTECTED] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/ Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/proletar/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
