US rejects Gaza kidnappers' demands

Kidnapped Fox news journalist Steve Centanni (R) and New Zealand camerman Olaf Wiig (L).

The United States rejected demands from a Palestinian group claiming to hold two journalists from the US Fox News television network and insisted the pair be released unconditionally.

A previously unknown group, the Holy Jihad Brigades, overnight claimed the August 14 kidnapping and showed a video of the two captive journalists, US national Steve Centanni and freelance cameraman Olaf Wiig from New Zealand.

"As we have maintained publicly, we do not make concessions to terrorists and we continue to call for the release of these journalists unconditionally," a US State Department spokesman said.

The group demanded that all Muslim prisoners in the United States be released within 72 hours.

"We will give you one chance that will not be repeated - the liberation of Muslims detained in American prisons in exchange for the detainees in our hands," the group said in a statement.

The State Department spokesman replied that the US Government "strongly condemns the kidnapping of these independent journalists, who were in Gaza to tell the Palestinian story to the world".

He would not speculate on the Palestinian group's reasons for seizing the journalists.

Officials say US Secretary of State Dr Condoleezza Rice spoke with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

The spokesman thanked the Palestinian leader and his security services for their help in trying to obtain the journalists' release.

"But we ask that President Abbas and the security services continue to do all they can to find the two journalists and obtain their safe release," he said.

Centanni and Wiig were snatched by gunmen in Gaza City, where they had been working for several weeks, and until Wednesday, there had been no news on their whereabouts or their captors.

The video released with the statement showed the two journalists, dressed in tracksuits and looking relaxed, sitting barefoot and cross-legged in what appeared to be a dark room.

- AFP