An American aid worker abducted by al-Qaida in Pakistan last year has pleaded with President Barack Obama to meet his captors' demands for the release of prisoners in order to save his life, in a video released by the militant group's media arm.
In the short clip posted on Islamist Internet forums, Warren Weinstein, who was kidnapped in the central Pakistani city of Lahore last August, appealed to Obama to "accept and respond to the mujahideen [holy warriors]."
"My life is in your hands, Mr. President. If you accept the demands, I live; if you don't accept the demands, then I die," said Weinstein, seated behind a table with a small stack of books and what appeared to be plates of food on it.
He said he wanted his wife to know he was "well" and had been provided with all the medicines he needed.
Al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri said in an audio recording in December that the group was responsible for Weinstein's abduction and demanded the release of all those in U.S. detention for ties to his Islamist militant group or the Taliban.
He also demanded an end to air strikes by the United States and its allies against militants in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia, and Gaza.
White House spokesman Jay Carney called on Monday for Weinstein's immediate release and told a news briefing in Washington: "We cannot and will not negotiate with al Qaeda."
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