Canadian journalist reported abducted in Somalia
25.08.2008 21:00
Arts
- Source: cbc.ca
A freelance journalist from Alberta is believed to have been abducted at gunpoint near Somalia's capital Mogadishu, a family member said Saturday.  Amanda Lindhout, a freelance journalist and native of Red Deer, Alta., is shown in this undated photo.(Red Deer Advocate/Canadian Press)The uncle of Amanda Lindhout told CBC News her family has been contacted by the Canadian government and is waiting for more information. She had recently travelled to Somalia after working in Iraq for a news channel, her father, John Lindhout, said from his home in Sylvan Lake, Alta. It's believed Amanda Lindhout, 26, along with Nigel Brennan, a 37-year-old freelance Australian photojournalist from Brisbane, were being held hostage by gunmen in Mogadishu, the National Union of Somali Journalists said. A Somali translator and two bodyguards set off with the journalists on Saturday morning for a location near Elasha, 18 kilometres south of the capital, according to Mohamed Ajos, head of security at Mogadishu's Shamo Hotel. Abdikahim Haji, the brother-in-law of Abdifatah Elmi, one of the bodyguards, told the Associated Press that he spoke by telephone with his brother-in-law at the time of the abduction. Freelance reporter Abdurahman Warsameh said it's believed the group was in a vehicle that was stopped by gunmen as it travelled to a refugee camp. Lindhout had written several articles for the Red Deer Advocate newspaper in the last six months, editor John Stewart said. She wrote two columns from Somalia, which she called the "most dangerous place on Earth." She wrote "nowhere do you feel safe," Stewart said. Kidnappings are common in Somalia, where Islamist insurgents have been fighting the interim government and its Ethiopian military allies since the start of last year. Warsameh told CBC News it's not unusual for armed groups who are fighting the government to kidnap foreigners, but he added these acts more often carried out by what he called "freelance gunmen" with no affiliation to any group. Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: SMLXL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACKRelatedVideo Peter Akman reports: Canadian journalist reported abducted in Somalia (Runs: 2:24)Play: QuickTime »Play: Real Media »Arts HeadlinesGaudio set out to preserve Four Seasons legacy with Jersey BoysBob Gaudio, the songwriter behind Four Seasons hits such as Sherry and Big Girls Don't Cry, says he had a "gut instinct" that told him what songs would be a hit.McCain camp calls Madonna concert segment 'outrageous, unacceptable'After angering religious groups around the globe with past concert performances and music videos, Madonna has raised the ire of U.S. Senator John McCain with a video segment on her latest tour.Another Wagner descendant seeks to control Bayreuth FestivalAnother of composer Richard Wagner's descendants has stepped into the fray in the race to take over at the Bayreuth Festival in Germany.Barenaked Ladies singer, 3 others survive plane crashBarenaked Ladies singer Ed Robertson and three others walked away from a plane crash Sunday afternoon in southeastern Ontario, police said Monday.Songwriter to join American Idol judging panelContestants for TV powerhouse American Idol will have another judge to impress starting this fall: pop singer-songwriter and music producer Kara DioGuardi. Arts FeaturesCrashing the partyPolitical conventions have provided some memorable movie scenesSilly rabbitThe House Bunny: funnier and (slightly) less sexist than it looksOld man on campusBen Kingsley plays an academic and waning Lothario in the drama Elegy2 be or not 2 beSteve Coogan does Shakespeare one better in Hamlet 2Projecting the pastRobert Lepage's dazzling visual history of Quebec CitySmuggler's bluesThe film Frozen River explores criminal intrigue at the Canada-U.S. borderPeople who read this also read …
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