Anbar TV reporter kidnapped in Karbala

Unknown gunmen kidnapped satellite channel Anbar TV correspondent Karar Alaa al-Tamimi Monday in Karbala province. The reporter was taken while leaving his home to the east of Karbala City. Sources close to al-Tamimi say he had received threats on social networking website Facebook saying he would be killed if he does not resign from Anbar TV. The correspondent's father, Alaa al-Tamimi, told Arabstoday: "My son Karar called me Sunday evening, less than an hour after he left his house in al-Imam Ali district(4 kilometres east of Karbala) and said he had been kidnapped by a group of gunmen." The father adds: "The call didn't last long, he turned his mobile phone off after less than a minute." Al-Tamimi has urged the kidnappers to release his son, whom he said is Karbala-born and young. The father said Karar only worked for Anbar TV for career reasons. The correspondent's father also told Arabstoday he had reported the incident to the police, who asked him to stay quiet in order not to provoke the kidnappers into killing his son. He demanded that security forces "release Karar from his kidnappers quickly." A colleague of Karar's who did not want to disclose his name, said the reporter received a threatening message two months ago via Facebook threatening to "liquidate" him if he continued to work for Anbar TV. He said the senders were unknown.