| i News Now Saturday, August 22, 2009 |
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It's not an anniversary that an Alberta family would like to celebrate.Saturday marks one year to the day, that freelance journalist Amanda Lindhout was taken hostage while working in Somalia. The Sylvan Lake native was taken captive, along with Australian journalist Nigel Brennan, and two others travelling with them.
The unknown kidnappers demanded 2-and-a-half Million dollars ransom. That amount has since been downgraded significantly
Al Jazeera television has shown a clip of Lindhout, wearing an Arab robe surrounded by gunmen. Her alleged captors have given deadlines, that have come and gone without incident.
The last time anyone heard from Lindhout was in June, when a woman claiming to be her, called CTV's national newsroom, saying she was in a desperate situation.
The woman claimed she was being kept in a dark, windowless room without any clean drinking water and little or no food or medication.
There are also unconfirmed reports, Lindhout had a baby, after being raped by her captors and even one report saying one of the abductors took her as his wife.