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| Luke Somers: British-born photojournalist 'killed by al-Qaeda after failed rescue attempt in Yemen' | Luke Somers: British-born photojournalist 'killed by al-Qaeda after failed rescue attempt in Yemen' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A British-born photojournalist has reportedly been killed by al-Qaeda militants in Yemen during a failed rescue attempt by US special forces. | A British-born photojournalist has reportedly been killed by al-Qaeda militants in Yemen during a failed rescue attempt by US special forces. |
| Luke Somers, 33, had been held hostage since being kidnapped in the capital, Sana’a, in September 2013 as he left a supermarket. | Luke Somers, 33, had been held hostage since being kidnapped in the capital, Sana’a, in September 2013 as he left a supermarket. |
| There were initially conflicting reports on Saturday morning about the outcome of a joint US-Yemeni operation to free him. Some said an unnamed American hostage had been rescued while others said Mr Somers was dead. | |
| An official told the New York Times that Mr Somers was shot by his captors as Saturday's raid unfolded and was badly wounded when the commandos reached him. | |
| By the time Mr Somers was flown to a United States naval ship in the region, he had died from his injuries, the source said. | |
| His captors had taunted his family after a previous attempt by American and Yemeni forces to free him, saying on Thursday they would execute him within three days if the US did not meet their demands. | His captors had taunted his family after a previous attempt by American and Yemeni forces to free him, saying on Thursday they would execute him within three days if the US did not meet their demands. |
| Al-Qaeda released a video statement from Mr Somers, where he said: “I’m looking for any help that can get me out of this situation. I’m certain that my life is in danger." | Al-Qaeda released a video statement from Mr Somers, where he said: “I’m looking for any help that can get me out of this situation. I’m certain that my life is in danger." |
| Luke Somers appeared in an al-Qaeda video Lucy Somers, his sister, told the Associated Press today that FBI agents informed her he was killed on Saturday but Washington has not confirmed the claim. | |
| "We ask that all of Luke's family members be allowed to mourn in peace," she said. | "We ask that all of Luke's family members be allowed to mourn in peace," she said. |
| She had released a video pleading with al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) to let him live, describing her older brother as a romantic who "always believes the best in people". | |
| Mr Somers’ father, Michael, called his son "a good friend of Yemen and the Yemeni people" and asked for his safe release and his mother and brother appealed to his captors to spare him, saying he "was only trying to do good". | Mr Somers’ father, Michael, called his son "a good friend of Yemen and the Yemeni people" and asked for his safe release and his mother and brother appealed to his captors to spare him, saying he "was only trying to do good". |
| According to a statement on the website of Yemen's defence ministry, a hostage rescue attempt on Saturday morning was successful. | |
| A drone struck a suspected AQAP hideout at dawn in Yemen's southern Shabwa province, it said, and a subsequent raid freed an unnamed US hostage and killed 10 extremists. | |
| It is believed the inconsistency arose because Mr Somers did not die until after he was pulled out and taken into the care of American forces. | |
| Yemeni security forces hold a position as they guard outside a court during a hearing for Al-Qaeda suspects No further details have emerged of Saturday's operation but the Pentagon admitted on Thursday that a secret raid last month had got the wrong location. | |
| Special forces arrived at the target, in a remote al-Qaeda safe haven in the desert near Yemen’s border with Saudi Arabia, to find Mr Somers was not there. | |
| The American government considers AQAP to be the world's most dangerous arm of the international terrorist organisation after linking it to several failed attacks on US soil. | The American government considers AQAP to be the world's most dangerous arm of the international terrorist organisation after linking it to several failed attacks on US soil. |
| Mr Somers was born in Britain and holds dual US-UK citizenship. Having spent most of his life in the United States, he worked for two years in Yemen as a freelance photojournalist, sub-editor and interpreter for English language newspapers. | |
| Yemen is racked by lawlessness and violence American authorities rarely discuss their controversial drone strike campaign in Yemen, which are known to cause civilian casualties, legitimising violent resistance against US intervention in the country. | |
| Al-Qaeda and Islamist militants have gained a foothold in large parts of southern and eastern Yemen, where the government is struggling to exert control outside main cities. | |
| The Pentagon has not replied to The Independent's request for confirmation. | |
| Additional reporting by agencies | |