An Al Qaeda affiliate in the Arabian Peninsula is threatening to execute an American hostage in Yemen, in a video Thursday.
The SITE Intelligence Group, a U.S. terrorism monitoring group obtained the video featuring the hostage. Washington was given unspecified demands to meet or the man would be killed.
Luke Somers was captured in September 2013 in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa. The 33-year-old American British-born photojournalist was doing freelance work for the Yemen Times during the time of his capture.
He was likely among a group of hostages who were the objective of a joint rescue mission by U.S operation forces and Yemeni troops last month that freed eight captives in a remote corner of Yemen.
At the time, a Yemeni official said the mission failed to liberate five others, including an American journalist and a Briton who were moved elsewhere by their Al Qaeda captors days before the raid. The American was not identified by name and Yemen did not officially confirm the participation of U.S. commandos in the rescue mission — a rare instance of U.S. forces intervening on the ground in Yemen.
The video shows local Al Qaeda official speaking of America's crimes against the Muslim world. He urges the U.S. to meet demands, which he says the country is 'aware of.'
Then Somers is shown, giving a brief statement in English and asking for help.
"It's now been well over a year since I've been kidnapped in Sanaa," Somers said. "Basically, I'm looking for any help that can get me out of this situation. I'm certain that my life is in danger."
Impoverished Yemen, troubled both by Al Qaeda and the advance of Shiite rebels, has seen foreigners increasingly targeted in kidnap attempts. The U.S. drone strikes, targeting suspected militant gatherings, have become increasingly unpopular in Yemen due to civilian casualties.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
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