MEDIA COORDINATOR KHALID ABU-SALAH INTERVIEWS NBC'S FREED REPORTER RICHARD ENGEL

• Document Type: FOIA
• Collection: FOIA Collection
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 06712769
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: U
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 28, 2022
• Document Release Date: January 12, 2018
• Case Number: F-2018-00161
• Publication Date: December 20, 2012

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WARNING: TOPIC: P6417Q, LEADER, MEDIA, MILITARY, TERRORISM
SERIAL: GMP20121219137003
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COUNTRY: FRANCE, GERMANY, SYRIA, UNITED STATES, LEBANON,
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SUBJ: (U//F,Gell0 MEDIA COORDINATOR KHALID ABU-SALAH INTERVIEWS
NBC'S FREED REPORTER RICHARD ENGEL
REF: 1. AHRAR AL-SHAM BRIGADES CLAIM FREEING NBC'S ENGEL,
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TEXT:
(U/A4O.0499- Interview with NBC News reporter Richard Engel by
Khaled Abu-Salah; place and date not given: "Khaled Abu-Salah.
Interviews Kidnapped Reporter Richard Engel" -- recorded
Internet
OSC Translated Text
(U) This product may contain copyrighted material; authorized use
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(Attachment not included: GMP20121219137003003.gif)
Images of Media Coordinator Khalid Abu-Salah's Interview With
NBC's Freed Reporter Richard Engel
Abu-Salah The foreign journalists have many ordeals with the
Syrian revolution. The ordeal of the US-born Sunday Times
journalist Marie Colvin and the French photographer Remi
Ochlik, who sacrificed their lives to disclose the truth in
Syria, was not the last. Today, we have a new one. It is the
ordeal of the bright journalist Richard Engel, NBC News channel's
reporter that came to Syria more than once. In his last visit to
Syria, he was kidnapped by a group of Shabbihah thugs, reference
to pro-Al-Asad regime militia. Today, he speaks to the Syrian
people and to the whole world about the revolutionaries of Syria
and how he was saved and freed. Please, go ahead.
Engel Peace be upon you. Today is the first day I see the
sunlight. We have been in Syria since six days ago. I did not see
the sunlight for six days. Yes, it was roughly six days. We came
in across Bab al-Hawa Border Crossing. We ran into an ambush
manned by 15 armed Shabbihah after roughly 10 or 15 km. We knew
that they were lying in ambush for us because there was a truck
under the trees with its doors opened. The armed men came along,
made us get off our car, had us get in the truck that was under
the trees, closed the doors of the truck, and took us to a farm.
Among us was a young revolutionary, whom they executed after we
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had arrived at the farm. I heard them saying "liquidate him." And
they did. There was a person that was looking for gasoline. I
think they wanted to set him on fire. However, they did not have
gasoline. So, they liquidated him.
Thereafter, they kept on moving us from a house to another. They
terrified us every day. We had the feeling that every day was our
last day. They prevented us from going to the toilet. They were
torturing us psychologically. I did not go to the toilet for more
than 30 hours. This was unusual. There was a guard in front of
us. He was looking at me. I could not see him because I was
blindfolded all the time, but I knew that he was there because he
was smoking.
Abu-Salah How many journalists were there?
Engel We were six. He rambles on about the guards and the
feeling he and the other journalists had then.
Abu-Salah What did the Shabbihah say to you? What were they
saying?
Engel I think they wanted to swap prisoners.
Abu-Salah With whom?
Engel With the revolutionaries as they had four Iranian captives
and two Lebanese from Amal Movement. We came to know that from
the Shabbihah themselves.
Abu-Salah Did the Shabbihah tell you that?
Engel Yes. I pretended that I did not understand Arabic. I
remained silent. All I said was "thank you" in addition to other
simple words. But, I was listening.
Abu-Salah Did they torture or beat you?
Engel No, they did not. They only executed the armed
revolutionary in front of us, but they did not hurt us. They were
torturing us psychologically most of the time. For instance, the
guard, who was in charge of us, came to the room where we were
kept. We did not see him, but we could figure out his voice. He
said: "Whom will I shoot dead today?" and "who will have my gift?"
In the meantime, he held the gun to my face so that I know it was
a gun. They forced us to choose one from among us to be killed.
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When we said we could not do that, one of them said: "I will
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select one myself." He selected my friend that was also a
hostage. The guard told my friend that he would shoot him in the
leg. He told him: "Give me your leg." My friend was made to raise
his leg. He could not see anything. Finally, the guard fired the
gun into the air a mock shooting.
Abu-Salah That is to say they were terrorizing you
psychologically?
Engel Yes, they were. They kept on doing that every day. On the
other hand, they sometimes were nice to us as they brought us
tea, cigarettes, or another battery. Once, they made us all sit
outside the room against the wall. Then, we heard them rolling
out something plastic on the ground. I thought this was
definitely our last moment. We were made to sit silently outside.
Abu-Salah Was that plastic for placing you on it and then
wrapping you in it?
Engel Or probably in order that the blood falls on it. Many
thoughts came to my mind as we were not seeing anything.
Moreover, we were at night and the weather was cold. They made us
line up against the wall. We heard someone reloading the gun. We
remained in this state for half an hour. Everyone remained
speechless. Their actions were like this until the last minute.
Abu-Salah What were they telling you?
Engel They were saying that Syria was theirs and was Bashar's
Al-Asad. I heard them saying: "We fire cluster bombs as well as
kill all your sons and wives so that they do not give birth to
bastards like you." Their words were strange, sectarian, and
bloody. In the end, we were saved. On the last day and
immediately before I had come here, in an interruptive manner, he
says: "I am still wearing the same clothes. Then he gets a rope
out of his pocket and says: "I was roped with this." Then he goes
on to say: On the last day, we moved out of the village toward
another house as they kept on moving us from a house to another
every day or even twice a day. We moved to many houses. When they
were moving us at the last time, there was a temporary checkpoint
belonging to the revolutionaries. Trying to remember the name of
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the revolutionaries, the interviewer reminds him by saying: "The
Ahrar al-Sham." He says jokingly: How can� I forget the ones
that saved my life! He repeats the name jokingly then he goes on
to say: We reached a road where there was a temporary checkpoint
belonging to the revolutionaries, the Ahrar al-Sham Brigades.
There was a firefight.
Abu-Salah Were they lying in ambush?
Engel Yes, they were and there was a firefight.
Abu-Salah How was the firefight? Was it random?
Engel No, it was precise.
Abu-Salah Did they know about your coming?
Engel The ambush was well-prepared. I will tell you. We were in
the back of the truck. In front of us were two armed individuals.
One of them was driving while the other was sitting on the right
side. We were six hostages. Once we reached the temporary
checkpoint, the two armed men captors shouted anxiously: "A
checkpoint." The driver got off and started to open fire at the
checkpoint. He was killed after firing one, two, or three bullets.
He was shot precisely. The other armed man got off using the
other door. He was killed immediately. Not even a single bullet
was fired at the truck and the truck was not hurt. Then, we got
out of the windows so that our friends, the revolutionaries, save
our lives. I even had an interview with them after they freed us
and I thanked them a lot. If they had not been there, I would not
have been freed or I may have been killed. Then, they took us to
the borders and I was let go a short while ago.
Abu-Salah What would you like to say to the Ahrar al-Sham
Brigades and to all the revolutionaries on the ground?
Engel I would like to thank the Ahrar al-Sham. I have already
thanked them. However, I would like to thank them from the bottom
of my heart. They were well-mannered. As for the Syrian people, I
would like to wish them peace. I hope that this crisis ends
quickly.
Abu-Salah God willing. Of course, Richard Engel is one of the
most prominent stars in the western media and he came to Syria
more than once. The one that logs in to the YouTube website and
searches for him and his stance on the Syrian cause, one will
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find that he is a fair journalist that has supported both the
Syrian civilians and military men. On our part, we would like to
say to him: "Praise be to God for your safety." We would also like
to thank him and all his co-journalists that sacrifice their
lives in order to disclose the truth in Syria. Thank you,
Richard.
Engel Thank you very much.
Description of Source: Facebook in English -- Social networking
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videos, and sending messages; URL: http://www.faceboOk.com
(U) This product may contain copyrighted material; authorized use
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0MP20121219137003
Translation/Transcription
OSC Translated Text
Priority
France, Germany, Syria, United States,
Europe, Middle East, Americas
South Europe, North Europe, Middle East,
Teue, LEADER, MEDIA, MILITARY, TERRORISM
CABLETYPE: FBISEMS ACP 1.0.
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