The extremist Muslim group At-Tuahid wa'Al-Jihad announced Thursday evening that it has abducted an Italian human-rights worker in Gaza and threatened to execute him if Salafist prisoners, including its leader, Hisham Al-Saidni, are not released from Hamas detention by 5:00 Friday afternoon. Al-Saidni was arrested about a month and a half ago.
Gaza sources told Kol Yisrael government radio that the man who was abducted was Vittorio Arrigoni, who has been in Gaza for years. In the video clip announcing the threat, he was seen blindfolded with his hands bound.