The Federal Bureau of Investigation assisted with a family's attempt to pay a ransom to extremists aimed at securing the release of an American held captive for nearly four years, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
Warren Weinstein, 73, was abducted in Pakistan in 2011 by members of al-Qaeda. The group's leader subsequently confirmed that they were holding him captive and made ransom demands. The White house refused the ransom, citing the U.S. government's longstanding policy of not negotiating with extremists.
Weinstein's family, however, wished to pay a ransom, hoping it would lead to his release. In June 2012, the FBI assisted the family with the delivery to an intermediary in Pakistan, the Journal reported.
The family raised $250,000, and the FBI found the Pakistani intermediary and vetted him for the payment delivery — however, despite receiving the money, al-Qaeda did not release Weinstein.
In January, Weinstein and an Italian hostage were killed in a drone strike orchestrated by the Central Intelligence Agency on an al-Qaeda compound in Pakistan. President Barack Obama last week apologized for the errant strike and said the administration's policy concerning drone strikes is being re-evaluated.
By Doug G. Ware
[This story has been edited from the source material.]
