Steinmeier: German Hostage Situation "Developing Seriously" | Germany | Deutsche Welle | 01.02.2006

Steinmeier: German Hostage Situation "Developing Seriously" Germany Deutsche Welle 01.02.2006

The kidnappers of two German engineers in Iraq have given the German government a 72-hour deadline to meet their demand that it sever ties with Baghdad. The ultimatum could already run out Wednesday.
The hostage-takers said in a video aired on Al Jazeera television network Tuesday night that they would kill Rene Bräunlich and Thomas Nitzschke if their demands were not met by the German government within 72-hours.

It's not clear when the deadline is meant to be: the video was dated Jan. 29, which suggests the ultimatum could run out Wednesday.
"According to our assessment, too, the situation has become serious," said Steinmeier in Berlin on Wednesday, after meeting with the ministry's emergency task force and the cabinet. He said he could not comment on the ultimatum and repeated Chancellor Angela Merkel's call to the kidnappers to release the men.

In the video, the kidnappers demanded the German embassy in Baghdad be closed and all German companies leave Iraq, according to Al Jazeera. They also called for the German government to put an end to all cooperation with the interim Iraqi government.

Bräunlich and Nitzschke were shown crouched on the ground on the tape, flanked by the masked kidnappers.

Over a week in captivity

The men, engineers from Leipzig who worked for German gas equipment installation company Cryotec, were abducted on Jan. 24 near the Baiji oil refinery compound by armed men in military uniform.

Three days later, a first video was aired on Al Jazeera in which the kidnappers asked Germany to pull its embassy out of Iraq immediately, halt all cooperation with the Iraqi government and help free women detained in Iraqi prisons. Bräunlich and Nitzschke, were filmed with armed masked men standing behind them. The two men called on their government to do everything it could for their release.

The kidnappers claim to belong to a group calling itself Ansar al-Tawheed wal Sunnah (Followers of Unity and Prophetic Tradition).