OPED writer snuffed by ...? (Steven Vincent in Basra)

[ochazuke]

the International Herald Tribune and The New York Times published an opinion article written by Steven Vincent in which he criticized the police in Basra.

One day later, he is abducted there and found dead on Wednesday.

hmmmm

http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/08/03/news/basra.php

[swag]

1. NPR's Philip Reeves says the truck looked a lot like the usual Basra

abduction and murder truck, according to Laura Rozen:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4251196&mesg_id=4251196

[ochazuke]

6. So what does that truck look like?

Does it have a logo on the side: "Basra Abduction & Murder"

"Since 2003"

[swag]

7. Nothing quite that cool, I'm afraid.

From the linked paragraph:

"NPR's Philip Reeves says that Vincent and his translator were abducted outside his hotel by people in a white pick up with "police" written on it, but no license plate. (Vincent describes a similar vehicle used by police loyal to radical Shiite clerics to commit sectarian assassinations in his oped)."

[SteppingRazor]

2. So he writes bad tings about Basra police...

And Basra police kill him. Not exactly hard to believe. I'll give you that. :)

[blm]

3. Funny....that KnightRidder reporter was gunned down after a similar report

last month. He was shot by a US military sniper...uh...accidently.

He reported on the death squads......this is NOT good.

[lvx35]

4. Steven Vincent was also an American National, no?

we'll see if there's a real attempt to go after his killers. There wasn't with that other guy, the KnightRidder reporter, but he was an Iraqi national shot be a marine...

[dogday]

5. Know what's worse than being a Muslim In America?

Being a reporter in Iraq. Anyone else get the feeling that we are not to know what is going on over there? There have been numerous deaths of reporters and the reporter here don't even report it.

[wli]

8. BFEE as usual

No surprises.