Foley Family Says Was 'Threatened' By U.S. Official Over Ransom: ABC -- Reuters
(Reuters) - The family of murdered American journalist James Foley says it was threatened by a U.S. official who warned that family members could be charged with supporting terrorism if they paid a ransom to his Islamist captors, ABC News reported on Friday.
ABC News quoted Foley's mother and brother as saying a military officer working for President Barack Obama's National Security Council had told them several times that they could face criminal charges if they paid a ransom.
The White House refused to discuss conversations that the family had with officials, but said they involved people from different government branches, including the White House, the FBI, the intelligence agencies and the Defense Department.
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More News On James Foley's Parents Saying That They Were 'Threatened' By U.S. Official Over Ransom
James Foley's mother 'appalled' by U.S. government handling of case -- CNN
Parents Of Murdered Journalist James Foley: 'We Were Told We Might Be Prosecuted' For Ransom Bid -- FOX News
US threatened Foley family over Islamic State ransom, slain journalist’s mother says -- RT
'As an American I'm embarrassed and appalled': James Foley's mother hits out at Obama's efforts to rescue her son and claims she was threatened with PROSECUTION if family paid ransom -- Daily Mail
'So Little Compassion': James Foley's Parents Say Officials Threatened Family Over Ransom -- ABC News
James Foley family: Obama officials vowed criminal charges if we paid son’s ransom -- Washington Times
U.S. Threatened James Foley’s Family Over ISIS Ransom Demand, His Mother Says -- Newsweek
James Foley's Parents Could Have Been Prosecuted for Ransom Fundraising -- Mashable
James Foley's family learned of his death in a phone call from crying journalist -- FOX News
5 comments:
If that had been me, I would have been prosecuted alright, but it would have been for murder.
Politics at it's finest.
Actually if you consider the long term implications of paying ransoms to kidnappers, things could get alot worse.
The fact US officials notified the Foley family of possible criminal charges speaks to their foresight and interest in protecting the american people in the long term. Unfortunately some thoughtless people do pay ransoms instead of thinking about humanity as a whole. Now we have a situation where kidnapping is a rampant and global enterprise because there has historically been a willing, paying market for it. The more people pay, the more cockroaches will hear about the rich rewards and crawl out of the woodwork to make others suffer and die, tenfold. The people in the government have clearly thought things through which is why there is a policy. It should really be international law that ransoms should *never* be paid. There would have to be short term repercussions (sacrifices), but soon the market for kinapping would wither and stop. As hard as it probably was to hear, the federal agents did absolutely the right thing here.
Dave,
I disagree on this point. The family should have a the ability to offer ransom. On the other hand it should never be a policy of the government, that I agree with you and on every other point.
I am aware of the possible consequences in future hostage situations, but if a person is there as a private matter, it is that person's (or their family) responsibility to look after themselves, not the governments. Now the government may decide to intervene which in it's rights, but only within it's accepted limits.
What right does the Foley family have to (indirectly) cause other families to suffer the same fate? As soon as they would have payed that two million dollar ransom (or whatever) the network of terrorists associated with ISIL would have heard the news from their black-masked buddies, and gone on the rampage to capture even more foreigners. That's more families to suffer the same crap. We have a world where people are thinking of themselves or their own families and not much beyond those little bubbles. We are in a war of sorts and people should behave accordingly. It would have been far more impressive had the Foley family issued a public statement to ISIL to the effect that "we will never pay any ransom and invite other victims of kidnapping to follow suit..." Thats alot to ask of a grieving terrified family I suppose, but it's also alot to ask a soldier to storm a beach in Nazi-occupied France, or a Russian T-34 to drive into a Panzer at full speed. In war, people do heroic things. Thats how they win wars. The alternatives include hiding in foxholes, whining about how you're being treated, and paying ransoms to terrorists whenever they attack your loved ones.
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