Estimated read time: Less than a minute
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The State Department says it has learned of a plot to abduct Western journalists covering Syria's civil war and is warning those who travel there to take precautions.
In a notice posted Tuesday to the website of the shuttered U.S. Embassy in Damascus, the department said it "has information that there is a kidnapping plot directed at Western journalists traveling to central and southern Syria." The notice, titled "Risk of Kidnappings for Western Journalists" and dated Monday, gave no additional details.
It repeated advice for American citizens to leave Syria immediately and said that those who stay should maintain a high level of vigilance. Several Western journalists are presumed to have been abducted in Syria, including at least one American and four Frenchmen.
___
Online:
http://damascus.usembassy.gov/em_102113.html
(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)