Pakistani Taliban releases videos showing kidnapped Swiss couple

Pakistani Taliban releases videos showing kidnapped Swiss couple

2011-10-26 05:52:10 GMT+7 (ICT)

MIRANSHAH, PAKISTAN (BNO NEWS) -- The Pakistani Taliban on Tuesday released two videos showing a Swiss couple who were kidnapped in the Pakistani province of Balochistan about four months ago, reports said.

The couple, who are from the Swiss city of Bern, can be seen holding a newspaper dated September 15 in the two videos, which are in English and Swiss-German. The couple called on the Swiss, U.S. and Pakistani authorities to meet the kidnappers' demands, the swissinfo news portal reported.

The kidnappers, who have been linked to the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorist group, is demanding the U.S. government to release Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani scientist who was sentenced to an 86-year prison term in 2010 for the attempted murder of a U.S. citizen who had been interrogating Siddiqui in Afghanistan.

In one of the videos, one of the hostage is heard saying "our lives are at risk" if the demands are not met. The terrorist group is also asking for the release of additional imprisoned Pakistanis.

The Swiss couple have been identified as David Oliver, 31, and Widmar Daniela, 29. According to reports, they were traveling in Pakistan's province of Balochistan around four months ago when they were abducted by unidentified gunmen. A TTP spokesperson confirmed the kidnapping a week later, adding that they had taken the couple to the South Waziristan region which borders Afghanistan.

Despite the videos being released on Tuesday, they showed a newspaper five weeks old. The TTP, however, has claimed the Swiss couple is still alive.

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