Incident Summary:

01/18/2005: Four members The Islamic Jihad Brigades claimed via video that they had kidnapped a Lebanese man, Gebrayel Adib Azar, whom they had accused of working with the US forces in Iraq. The group’s video statement demanded that the US company, Berjani Group, leave Iraq or they would harm Azar. The outcome of the kidnapping was unknown.

GTD ID:
200501180001

When:
2005-01-18

Country:
Iraq

Region:
Middle East & North Africa

Province/administrative
region/u.s. state:

Unknown

City:
Unknown

Attack Information
Type of Attack (more) Hostage Taking (Kidnapping)
Successful Attack? (more) Yes
Target Information (more)
Target Type: Business
Name of Entity Berjani Group
Specific Description Gebrayel Adib Azar, a Berjani Group employee working in Iraq
Nationality of Target
Target Type: Private Citizens & Property
Name of Entity Lebanese civilian
Specific Description Gebrayel Adib Azar, a Berjani Group employee working in Iraq
Nationality of Target Lebanon
Additional Information
Hostages Yes
Number of Hostages 1
US Hostages 0
Days of Kidnapping 16
Outcome Hostage(s) released by perpetrators
Ransom No
Property Damage No
Weapon Information
Type Sub-type
Firearms Unknown Gun Type
Additional Information
Suicide Attack?No
Part of Multiple Incident?No
Criterion 1 (more) Yes
Criterion 2 (more) Yes
Criterion 3 (more) Yes
Doubt Terrorism Proper (more) No
Additional Information The hostage was released on February 3, 2005. The four men holding Gebrayel Adib Azar hostage in the video were masked and armed. A total of around 30 Lebanese working for private companies, many of them subcontracted by the US military, had been nabbed by insurgents and gangs in the months prior to this kidnapping incident.
Perpetrator Group Information
Group Name Claimed Responsibility
Islamic Jihad Brigades Yes (Confirmed: Unknown; Mode: Video)
Perpetrator Statistics
Number of Perpetrators Unknown
Number of Captured Perpetrators 0
Casualty Information
Total Number of Casualties 0 Fatalities / 0 Injured
Total Number of Fatalities 0
Number of U.S. Fatalities 0
Number of Perpetrator Fatalities 0
Total Number of Injured 0
Number of U.S. Injured 0
Number of Perpetrators Injured 0
Sources
"Lebanese Kidnapped by Islamic Militant Group,” Agence France Presse, January 18, 2005.