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Libya: Journalists detained as “Israeli spies” because militia mistook Welsh language for Hebrew

Mar 20, 2012 3:50 pm By Marisol Seibold

Ironically, they also work for Iran’s PressTV. You can’t make this stuff up. “Misrata Brigade snatch two journalists, detain them in “cramped” bunker in Tripoli, accuse the two men of being Israeli spies, BBC reports,” from the Jerusalem Post, March 20 (thanks to Karl):

Two journalists from the UK were snatched by a Libyan militia after members of the group mistook the Welsh language for Hebrew, the BBC reported on Tuesday.

Gareth Montgomery-Johnson and Nicholas Davies-Jones were taken in Tripoli last month, after the Misrata Brigade accused them of being Israeli spies.

“They thought this was Hebrew and we were Israeli spies,” Montgomery-Johnson told the BBC, referring to a bandage with Welsh writing.

The two journalists work for Iran’s official Press TV.

Montgomery-Johnson explained that his father, a nurse, had given him bandages to take to Libya. Those bandages contained Welsh writing which confused the Libyan militants, who thought it was Hebrew.

According to Davies-Jones, the two were snatched by the band of men, some of whom were armed, and were held in a bunker in central Tripoli.

Montgomery-Johnson described their quarters to the BBC as “cramped.”

Members of the militia apprehended the journalists’ filming equipment from their hotel in order to scan the material.

Faraj al-Swehli, commander of a Misrata brigade, accused the two men shortly after their detainment of entering Libya illegally, and accused them of being spies, the BBC reported.

Members of the militia produced the bandage as evidence of the men’s affiliation with Israel, claiming the field dressing is similar to ones used by the IDF.

Both the Libyan transitional government and the British embassy got to work negotiating the two journalist’s release after their capture, but were turned down by the Misrata Brigade.

The two were handed over to the Libyan Interior Ministry on March 14, and were flown back to the UK on Monday, according to the report.

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Filed Under: conspiracy paranoia, Islamic antisemitism, Libya


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