American Hostage Luke Somers Killed in US Rescue Attempt, American journalist Luke Somers was killed Friday during a desperate attempt by U.S. commandos to free him from al Qaeda in Yemen as a three-day deadline by the terrorists to execute him neared, President Obama said early Saturday in a written statement.
"The United States strongly condemns the barbaric murder of Luke Somers at the hands of al Qaeda terrorists during a rescue operation conducted by U.S. forces in Yemen in partnership with the Yemeni government," Obama said. "Earlier this week, a video released by his terrorist captors announced that Luke would be killed within 72 hours. Other information also indicated Luke's life was in imminent danger. Based on this assessment, and as soon as there was reliable intelligence and an operational plan, I authorized a rescue attempt yesterday.
"On behalf of the American people, I offer my deepest condolences to Luke's family and to his loved ones," the President said.Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said that Somers and the other hostage, later identified as South African Pierre Korkie, were "murdered by AQAP [al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula] terrorists during the course of the operation."
Somers, 33, was believed to have been shot by his al Qaeda captors as the second attempt to rescue him since Nov. 25 unfolded after a year in captivity and a dramatic video was released this week in which he pleaded for help.He was at first thought to have been one of "two Caucasian" individuals rescued alive but wounded during the raid, which began around 2 a.m. local time in a remote Yemeni province, a counter-terrorism official told ABC News.
A flurry of tweets in the Shabwa region claimed that American drones were heard overhead in the night sky.
But soon intelligence reports came in that Somers and the other hostage had died of gunshot wounds from their captors, who shot them as operators from the U.S. Navy's SEAL Team Six bore down on the hostage site and killed AQAP fighters holding the freelance photojournalist, the counter-terrorism official told ABC News.
A defense official said that initial reports indicated Somers had been shot by his captors, but was still taken to the American amphibious ship USS Makin Island just offshore. It's unclear when exactly Somers died.
U.S. and Yemeni counter-terrorism forces had been inserted into the country by rotary aircraft and no American special operations forces were injured in the raid, the official said. Six AQAP fighters were killed.
"AQAP knows how to hate, they know how to murder, and now they have robbed a family of an idealistic young photojournalist who went to Yemen to practice his calling and document the lives of ordinary Yemenis," Secretary of State John Kerry said.
The desperate raid was launched as the clock was running out on what the AQAP terrorists had said in the video were "our demands" to be met, without specifying what they wanted from the U.S.
The first SEAL raid on Nov. 25 freed eight Yemeni, Saudi and Ethiopian hostages held by AQAP but failed to locate Somers, who was the commandos' primary objective that night. Analyst later assessed that he had been moved only a few days before the U.S. raid.
Late Friday, Somers' sister Lucy posted a video online that pleaded for his release.
"I am Lucy Somers, Luke Somers is my older brother. Luke is a gentle and sensitive person, he is a romantic and always believes the best in people," she said. "I have been comforted by all the messages of love and support from the Yemeni people. And I would like to add my voice to theirs in asking for mercy. Your way of life is what Luke loved. Please let him live."
His sister told The Associated Press that FBI agents had visited her in London to break the news of his death.
Somers, who was born in Britain but has American citizenship, was working as a translator for the National Dialogue Conference when he was kidnapped last September.
He wasn’t seen publicly until a hostage video was released by AQAP late Wednesday, in which Somers spoke.
“I’m looking for any help that can get me out of this situation,” he said. “I’m certain that my life is in danger. So as I sit here now, I ask if anything can be done, please let it be done. Thank you very much.”
In their own video the next day, Somers' mother and brother pleaded for his release, asking his captors to show “mercy.”He is all that we have,” Somers’ mother, Paula, said. “Luke, if you are able to hear or see us, please know that we are doing everything possible to help you.”
Somers’ brother Jordan said in the video that the family was not aware of the earlier American-led special military operation to try and rescue Somers just over a week ago.
