Middle East

Slain hostage's head found in freezer in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi security forces found the head of American hostage Paul Johnson Jr. in a freezer during a raid on a suspected al-Qaida hideout that came days before the expiration of a monthlong amnesty offered to militants, officials said Wednesday.

The raid targeted the hideout of the Saudi al-Qaida chief and killed two militants, the Interior Ministry said. It was not clear whether Saleh Mohammed al-Aoofi, the man believed to be the top al-Qaida leader in the kingdom, was among three militants reported wounded.

Security forces also seized weapons - including an antiaircraft SAM-7 missile - explosives, chemicals, videocameras and cash from the al-Qaida house.

Johnson, a 49-year-old engineer with Apache helicopter maker Lockheed Martin, was kidnapped and beheaded by militants in Saudi Arabia last month. Only his head was found, the Interior Ministry said, and a search continued for his body.

Carol Kalin of the U.S. Embassy said Saudi authorities had informed the embassy of the head's discovery, and consular officials were notifying Johnson's family.

An official at the Interior Ministry said authorities were holding the wife and three children of al-Aoofi, the purported al-Qaida chief in Saudi Arabia, after the raid in the Saudi capital.

A statement from the Saudi Embassy in Washington said security forces were investigating a residence in the capital's King Fahd district when they were attacked with various weapons, including hand and rocket-propelled grenades.

They returned fire, killing two militants, Issa Saad Mohammed bin Oushan, who was on Saudi Arabia's most-wanted list, and Mujab Abu-Ras Al-Dossary.

Johnson was kidnapped June 12 by militants in Riyadh who followed through on a threat to kill him if the kingdom did not release its al-Qaida prisoners.

Under the amnesty, which expires Friday, the government pledged not to seek the death penalty against militants who surrender. The offer has failed to attract hard-core militants, but experts say some who have come forward could provide valuable information. Four have surrendered, including a confidant of al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden, and 27 others have been repatriated from a number of countries.

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