Cleric to help find BBC man?

Last Modified: 17 May 2007
By: James Blake

The Foreign Office wants Muslim cleric Abu Qatada to appeal for the release of captured BBC man Alan Johnston.

The Foreign Office has confirmed that it has been in touch with the lawyer of the jailed Muslim cleric, Abu Qatada to see if he would be willing to make a humanitarian appeal for the release of the captured BBC journalist Alan Johnston.

The statement followed an announcement issued on behalf of Qatada that he would be willing to meet the journalist's captors in Gaza, but warning that - unless the government changes its approach - Mr Johnston could be killed.

The group which claims to be holding Mr Johnston, calling itself the Army of Islam, has demanded that Qatada and other Muslim prisoners be freed as a condition for the release of the journalist.

Alan Johnston: a timeline

March 12: Johnston disappeared on his way to work in Gaza City
March 17: First rally held calling for kidnappers to release the BBC man
March 22: Palestinian Centre for Democracy and Conflict Resolution pens an open letter to the captors demanding release
March 31: Palestinian journalists urged to stop covering government activities. Boycott was aimed at pressing authorities to do more to secure release
April 5: UK diplomat met the Palestinian PM - a member of the militant Hamas movement - for talks on the missing journalist
April 12: As part on an 'action day' Johnston's father Graham, read out an open letter to the journalist from his family
April 14: An online petition calling for release topped 30,000
April 19: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas claimed Johnston was still alive
April 26: Law-makers at the European Parliament unanimously backed a resolution calling for the immediate release
May 2: Blair pledged to work to free Johnston
May 9: The al-Jazeera Arabic news channel received a tape purportedly from the kidnappers, it contained no new footage of the reporter
May 13: Iran's foreign ministry spokesman condemned the kidnapping