Who Kidnapped CBS Reporter?

By Cernig

Who kidnapped recently released CBS reporter Richard Butler? He himself has no idea.

He was taken from a hotel room in Basra, where he was on a trip to meet the chief of staff for anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, Butler told CBS News' Allen Pizzey. Portions of the interview were being shown on the "CBS Evening News" on Monday.

Men wearing police fatigue uniforms and armed with AK-47's hustled him out of the room and into a car. He was first taken to a police station in Basra and then was held in different places — including three nights where he was sealed into a small room between two walls, he said.

...While he was held, he heard a lot of Hezbollah propaganda video and Hezbollah ringtones on mobile phones, but he can't be sure his captors were affiliated with the organization.

As time went on, his captors treated him better, but he was still held with a sack over his head and arm restraints. He eventually got the sense that his captors didn't intend to kill him, and had backed themselves into a corner.

There were points that he thought he was going to die, the first when he was taken from the police station, Butler said.

...On the day he was found, he heard voices outside where he was staying that escalated into a gunfight. The door to his room was kicked in. A soldier aimed a gun at his head, but when the Iraqi army realized Butler was a Westerner he was taken away to a superior officer.

The Iraqi army wasn't out specifically looking for him, Butler said. They were looking for an arms cachet.

And yet the Iraqi police version is that they were indeed acting on a tip-off as to Butler's whereabouts and recognised him instantly. "General Jalil Khalaf, chief of the Basra police, said that the army had received a tip that the journalist was hidden in a house in the area, 'and immediately a force from the army went to this area and found the journalist and released him.'" (The Iraqi Army's version agrres with Butler that he was an accidental find.)

I've thought from the first that there's something about his release that doesn't pass the smell test. Both Badr Brigade and Sadrists have successfully penetrated large chunks of the Basra police and the hezboullah videos seem to suggest Sadrists - but that's just a bit too pat. Like all Sadrist police/kidnappers do all day is sit around watching videos that would identify them as Sadrists to any reporter who knows the various factional loyalties...

There's at least a reasonable possibility that Butler was kidnapped by Badr Brigade members intent on preventing his meeting with Mookie, and that the Iraqi security forces (themselves largely an ISCI/Badr Brigade preserve) then used that situation to cast doubt of blame on Sadrists and make themselves look good in the process.

Maybe Butler's next assignment should be to investigate his own kidnapping.

Comments

[Jim Et Al]

The timing was always suspicious. After Maliki's "heroic" attempt to pacify the criminals elements (i.e. the Mehdi Army) controlling Basrah began to be increasingly seen in America as another blunder for both him and for George Bush, what better way to distract John Q Public than to find and release a hostage?

Between the flash of light bulbs and the media's unhesitant eagerness to gobble down whatever bones are discarded in their path, we the public get to celebrate another heroic narration secure in the knowledge that events once again have randomly conspired against a serious examination of the facts that have led up right up to the edge. A narrative that will once again last long enough until the debacle of Basrah will be consigned to the memory hole. This time though, the narrative features those heroic Iraqis soldiers (the ones who didn't run away) who have preformed brilliantly, with the implication being that somehow all the resources we've squandered in Iraq have a justification based in reality, never minding the fact that Maliki failed in his stated purpose when attacking Basrah, never minding the fact that it took an Iranian general to broker a ceasefire probably saving Maliki's ass, and never minding the fact that poor Mr Butler was kidnapped by a heavily armed gang in a country that was democratized to great fanfare nearly five years ago...

The whole episode stinks of contrivance...

[sfHeath]

I don't know a single thing about these events other than what is in this post. However, Occam's raZor would indicate that yes, the captors may indeed be interested in Hezbollah vids. Your hypo thesis, Cernig, without any further evidence, is mere speculation at best. For example, would it matter if the vids were in English or Arabic? Are there any other relevant facts?

With greatest respect,
sfHeath

[Steve Hynd]

Hi SF,

I think you've missed my point. The accepted line, as suggested by the Iraqi govt and rightwing US pundits is that Sadrists kidnapped him. The Hezboullah videos are used as circumstantial evidence of that as everyone in Iraq knows the Sadrists are close to Hezboullah. I'm pointing out that the police involvement (most Basra police are Badrists) and the tip-off/easy rescue might suggest otherwise. Occam's Razor, in other words, casts doubt on the favoured narrative and Butler himself is bright enough to see that.

Regards, C

[sfHeath]

Sorry, I did misread. I thought you were advocating a specific alternate interpretation rather than only being skeptical about the government explanation. My apologies.