The Istanbul Exchange by Adam LeBor

Author:Adam LeBor [LeBor, Adam]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publisher
Published: 2013-04-26T04:00:00+00:00

Mystery Surrounds Syrian Rebels’ Claim to be Holding US Prisoner

By Rod Krieger

BEIRUT – US officials refused to confirm or deny claims by Syrian rebels that they are holding an alleged CIA agent. The militants claim to have captured an American national, but have not yet released any identifying details about the hostage.

Mahmoud Hassan, a spokesman for the Syrian People’s Armed Revolutionary Fraction, a previously unknown far-left group, said: “The American spy is held under our protective custody while we decide his fate. He will be put on trial soon. If he is found guilty, we will reveal his identity. The sentence will then be carried out according to revolutionary law.”

The SPARF claims to be based in Ayn al-Arab, on the Syrian-Turkish frontier, which has been the site of heavy fighting recently between rebel and government forces. A recent investigation by the New York Times revealed how US intelligence agencies were supplying weapons to Syrian rebels via Turkey, much of them passing through Ayn al-Arab.

A Turkish security official, who spoke on condition that his name not be used as he was not authorized to speak on-the-record, said an American diplomat based in Istanbul had been reported missing two days ago when he failed to turn up for work. The Turkish official had no information about the man's identity. The CIA, the State Department and the White House all refused to comment. A spokesman for the US embassy in Ankara said all embassy staff were accounted for.

A low resolution video clip emailed yesterday to the New York Times, viewed by this reporter, showed a hooded man standing naked from the waist up, with his legs in manacles, in a windowless room. A dog was freely running around the space, barking. There appeared to be a skin discoloring of some kind on the man's neck but the poor quality of the footage prevented detailed analysis. The email, which was sent from a website providing temporary disposable email addresses, could not be traced. The video clip could not be independently verified.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.