Qatari Cameraman Killed in Libya - Al Jazeera
An Al Jazeera cameraman has been killed in what appears to have been an ambush near the rebel-held city of Benghazi in eastern Libya.
Ali Hassan Al Jaber was returning to Benghazi from a nearby town after filing a report from an opposition protest when unknown fighters opened fire on a car he and his colleagues were travelling in.
Two people including Al Jaber were shot. Al Jaber was rushed to hospital, but did not survive.
Al Jazeera's Tony Birtley, reporting from Benghazi, said Al Jaber was hit by three shots and was wounded through the heart.
"This is an extension of the campaign against Al Jazeera, and Al Jazeera Arabic particularly - because everyone here watch Al Jazeera Arabic. Their work has been heroic, and it has been a great shock to lose a colleague."
'Cowardly crime'
Wadah Khanfar, the director-general of Al Jazeera, said the network "will not remain silent" and will pursue those behind the ambush through legal channels.
He said that the killing came after "an unprecedented campaign" against the network by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Wadah Khanfar said Al Jazeera will not remain silent in the wake of Al Jaber's killing
"Al Jazeera condemns the cowardly crime, which comes as part of the Libyan regime's malicious campaign targeting Al Jazeera and its staff," the network said in a statement.
"Al Jazeera reiterates the assault cannot dent its resolve to continue its mission, professionally enlightening the public of the unfolding events in Libya and elsewhere.
"Al Jazeera stresses it will relentlessly prosecute and bring to justice all perpetrators and their accomplices."
Al Jaber, a Qatari national, was born in 1955 and received his bachelor and master's degrees in cinematography from the Academy of Arts in Cairo. He was the director of CNBC Arabiya TV bureau in Qatar.
He also served as a supervisor in the National Olympic Committee between 2002 and 2005 and held the office of Head of Filming Section in Qatar Television for more than 20 years.
During his tenure, he produced a number of documentaries including one on Qatar and another on Kuwait entitled "Plight and Tribulation".
His death marks the first report of a journalist killed in the current conflict in Libya.
Source: Al Jazeera
A brave and dedicated cameraman, it is sad moment and big loss. Hearty condolences to his near and dear.
A brave and dedicated cameraman, it is sad moment and big loss. Hearty condolences to his near and dear.
A brave and dedicated cameraman, it is sad moment and big loss. Hearty condolences to his near and dear.
Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'oon. May Allah give him an easy and pleasant journey and shower blessings on his grave.
Good man, doing a good job. RIP x
Raheemullah Ali Hassan Al Jaber..May he attend Jannah, Aameen!The killing seems very premeditated.. Shame on the perpetrators. And they claim to be at war with "insurgents" yeah right!
May God have mercy on his soul.
A funeral prayer is taking place tomorrow at noon prayer in Ali Bin Ali mosque which is located behind Al Ahli sports club.
Sorry to hear about the loss of such talent in journalism, and surely is an irreplaceable loss for the country.
May his soul RIP.
I had the pleasure of meeting the man in person several times during my three years at the Qatar Olympic Committee. He is one of the nicest people I have ever met and he never stopped smiling and I'm not exaggerating.
To add to what genesis said he also worked for the Qatar Olympic Committee as a cameraman and as the head of the media section.
He died doing what he loved best.
Really a sad Incident...
May Allah give his soul Internal Peace.... Ameen
It is a sad day for press freedom. Lets hope Gaddafi falls soon....
well gaddafi has put his warrant out on Al Jazeera. And he is the first victim
If you're on twitter, you can send your condolences to his brother in law Qatari prominent intellect Dr Jassim Sultan (@drjassimsultan)
Thats really sad...
Apparently those close to Gadaffi look upon Aljazeera and Qatar in bad light. So the ambush must be deliberate to stop Aljazeera from reporting from Libya.
Thats tragic. May his soul rests in peace.
Genesis, I hope, on behalf of all the QLers, you pass on our condolences to the grieved family of Ali Hassan's family.
Thanks for sharing genesis. A kind man indeed, gone too soon!
A kind hearted , down to earth, sincere & good neighbor.
Hard worker with over 20 years of experience as a skilled cameraman with many locally award winning documentaries Shot for QTV, CNBC & Aljazeera
Since last night Twitter is Teeming with mourning tweets by his colleagues & those who worked with him from all over the world
It saddens me that just few days ago, we congratulated him for the wedding of his son Abdulla , which ironically local dailies publish its pictures only yesterday in the local weddings section
it saddens me that Nasser his son, is following the foot step of his father and won't have the chance to work with him
May your soul rest in peace bu Abdulla, you'll be sorely missed by all those who knew you
Its a dangerous job and these people are brave. Gaddafi doesn't care who he kills as long as he stays in power.
Samyauk, Is the guy who passsed away any way related to you?
alkub.simoo, with all due respects would you also post the meaning of the arabic text that you have posted above!
Sad loss :) May his soul rest in Peace. A true martyr died in the line of his duty while bringing us the true images of this bloody conflict!
Tragic. Such is the price sometimes of "good old fashioned" reporting.
May he rest in peace !
Very sad, but not surprising given that the dictator wants to silence the scrutiny of his regime. I suspect this will be the first of many such attacks.
Sorry Qatar for the loss of a good man.
In the other hand:
Do you really think Al Jazeera would be able to procecute the shooters of this incident?
Good luck on that one. Remenber that place it is, a full ground civil war, the ground exchanges hands everyday.