FOX News journalists kidnapped in Gaza: reports
Updated Mon. Aug. 14 2006 4:17 PM ET
CTV.ca News Staff
Two journalists from the U.S.-based Fox News television channel have been kidnapped by armed men in Gaza, the station and a Fox employee in the region have confirmed.
An American correspondent and a cameraman from New Zealand were reportedly seized after gunmen intercepted their car in Gaza City, a Fox employee in Gaza confirmed. The employee -- who did not identify himself since he was not authorized to release the information -- confirmed that the reporter is American Steve Centanni. He did not give the name of the cameraman.
The team's transmission truck was parked near the headquarters of the Palestinian security services, when two trucks filled with gunmen ambushed their vehicle. The abductors then forced Centanni and the cameraman out of the vehicle at gunpoint and fled the scene, said the employee.
"We can confirm that two of our people were taken against their will in Gaza," Fox News said in a statement. They also confirmed that "negotiations were under way to secure their release." The Fox TV team's Palestinian driver and two other journalists were set free. No group has yet claimed responsibility for kidnapping the pair.
Palestinian police conducted vehicle searches after the abduction as the government denounced the action. "This is not acceptable at all," Interior Ministry spokesman Khaled Abu Hilal.
None of the major militant groups in Gaza have claimed responsibility for the abduction and no demands have yet been made public. Over the past two years, a number of foreigners have been kidnapped in Gaza. All have been freed unharmed, usually within hours. Most abductors demand the release of prisoners from Palestinian jails or jobs within the Palestinian Authority.
With files from The Associated Press
