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Subscribe to RSSAfter being held captive for five days in Syria, NBC's Richard Engel and his team recount being ambushed and blindfolded before being freed at a checkpoint.
Hours after crossing the border into Turkey, NBC News’ Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel and his crew told the story of their harrowing five-day kidnapping ordeal inside war-torn Syria.
“We were with some of the [anti-government] rebels and as we were moving down the road a group of gunmen literally jumped out of the trees and bushes on the side of the road,” Engel said Tuesday during a live interview with TODAY from Antakya, Turkey. “There were about 15 gunmen wearing ski masks, they were heavily armed. They had a container truck positioned, waiting by the side of the road. They put us into that container truck. We were with some gunmen - some rebels that were escorting us - they executed one of them on the spot.”
Over the next several days, the men, who were kept blindfolded and bound, were interrogated and transferred to a series of safe houses.
“We weren’t physically beaten or tortured,” Engel said, adding that there was “a lot of psychological torture, threats of being killed. They made us choose which one of us would be shot first. When we refused, there were mock shootings. They pretended to shoot [NBC News producer] Ghazi several times, then they fired a gun up in the air.”
To keep their spirits up, the journalists would peek through their blindfolds and take any opportunity when they were left alone by the guards to joke around with each other.
Richard Engel and NBC News team freed from captors in Syria
“When we first got captured it was a difficult moment of disbelief,” said producer Ghazi Balkiz, who has worked for many years with Engel and cameraman John Kooistra. “They were a long, five hard days and a few moments of despair. I thought about my family, my brother, my parents, my wife, and I have been feeling bad about what I have been putting them through. But it did help a lot that we were together.”
After five days in captivity, opportunity struck. The kidnappers loaded the men into a minivan and were in the midst of transferring them to another location when they came upon a rebel checkpoint.
'One of the happiest moments of my life'
The captors started a firefight with the rebels and two of the kidnappers were killed. Engel, Balkiz and Kooistra quickly climbed out of the van, joined up with the rebels and spent a restless night with them.
Early Tuesday morning, the group crossed the border – as free men - into Turkey, with the bandages used to bind them still in their pockets.
Video: Street fighting, shelling in Syria capital
“I must say that when we were freed yesterday, rescued by the rebels, it was one of the happiest moments of my life,” said Balkiz.
“During the ordeal I made amends with my maker, made good with myself,” added Kooistra. “I was prepared to die many times. Moving was the hardest part. It was disconcerting to move blindfolded from house to house.”
Engel said that he had a “very good idea” of who his captors were: members of the “shabiha” government militia, Shiites loyal to President Bashar Assad, trained by the Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and allied with Lebanon-based group Hezbollah.
“We were told they wanted to exchange us for four Iranian agents and two Lebanese people...,” said an unshaven Engel, still wearing the clothes from the day he was seized. “They captured us in order to carry out this exchange.”
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Leave a Comment:
A liberal democrats road to heroism...hide out in a hotel...float a kidnap story...grow a ragged beard...and then show up with this ridiculous story...why would these people kidnap you, you're both on the same side...
Dee Ten, you're an idiot! I didn't realize that Richard Engel was on the Syrian government's side.
Dee,
grow a brain please. If Engel was on the Gov.s side why has he been moving with the rebels the entire time he has been covering this ordeal? Are you saying he is a spy for Assad? Or are you saying that the USA should be allied with Assad and so any American over there supports Assad?
What evidence do you base your comment on, if any? Sources? Please, no Fox "News" or such links, they are not credible news/journalist sources.
Dee Ten: I am so glad you didn't use your real name with that post. Now, you at least have some hope at walking down the street with self respect.
Oh I am sure you all here have all the FACTS - NOT!
If you believe American Media you are a MORON... go google Noam Chomsky and learn about AMERICAN PROPAGANDA. Because that is all this is....
Mr. Chomsky proved, with PURE EVIDENCE AND FACTS, that American MEDIA is bought and paid for and controlled by the US government and it's corporations.
Mr. Chomsky chewed them up and spit them out... but go ahead and believe everything you read from American Media and you will be a foolish man...
But hey, he can always head back into Syria and get you that SO IMPORTANT story you CRAVE.
I'm sorry but, something sounds fishy here. First off, Hezbollah and Iran are very sophisticated militants. Secondly, I doubt seriously they would be so careless with a prize such as this. Why no mention of the many rebels they were travelling with? Weren't they captured as well? They only executed one of the rebels? Really? These people are absolutely ruthless and likely would have offed ALL of the captured rebels and kept the Americans as the prize. This story wreaks of a lame attempt at garnering ratings or an attempt at securing a Pulitzer.
With that said, i'm glad the crew is still safe.
Strange that not one of them sustained any injuries or were sodomized.
This could be a lot of BS.
Wow,
So if these guys really were working for Assad and they kidnapped Americans, is that not grounds for some kind of demand of reparations? I know it is literally a war zone over there but if the Admin wanted a reason to blast against Assad with some oomph behind it, kidnapping and torturing of Americans is as good a time as any.
Pretty hard to prove. Those kidnappers could have been anyone, but at least we have some evidence now that the rebels don't view us as enemies.
The Americans are there illegally.
Assad's boys have the legal right to arrest them and kill any terrorist they were traveling with.
I'm so glad Richard and his team are well. I guess one can't be the country's best foriegn correspondent sitting on the couch in the good ol' US of A, but geeze Richard, don't run out of luck.
I've always enjoyed his factual reporting and stop surfing whenever he popped up. I'm glad he found some new friends that let him live. Maybe he can work both sides now.
Kind of hard to report both sides when they execute a man right infront of him and mock execute him and his partners over five days.
Richard, I am glad you and your team are safe and unharmed. I turn to NBC and you when I want the facts! Keep up the great work, be safe out there! We need more Reporters like you.
Thank G-d it did not cost any rescuer lives. "Richard and the team" are not worth the death of any member of the US armed forces. But they risk such men's lives and enjoy "Joking around" at the same time. How royal. How arrogantly spoiled. How perfectly selfish. I bet they wouldn't die for a service member~! They're too important and too cool. Cowards.
I do not believe you understand Richard's background, but he is one of few war zone reporters who has the experience, language and guts to walk into a war zone and report. Thank God. I suppose that you would much rather take government propaganda for your news than a free press? It is because of journalists that crimes against humanity come to light, that we understand who is in charge and their motivation, that we try to understand the conditions that innocent civilians and military personnel are subjected to in war. I think that your use of the word "Coward" is completely unwarranted and unapplicable.
Glad you and your team are ok Richard. I appreciate the work you do and I think you wouldn't have it any other way. Might want to have Seal Team 6 around for next time :)
The question is, why do we need reporters THAT close to military action, our engaged action or someone else's? Do we really care that much about the on the ground mood in Syria or anywhere else that there's a revolution going on? Go old school, stay in a safe posh hotel and report what you see from the balcony. The Hunter S. Thompson approach to journalism.
NBC keeping a major story under wraps for several days? I applaud their good judgment. If only major media outlets worldwide, including NBC, hadn't reported ad nauseam about the nurse in London, maybe she wouldn't have been shamed to death. Is NBC always this thoughtful, even when it's not one of their own?
Richard, you are one person I automatically include in my daily prayers. This is unbelievable that they would kidnap you and your crew. Stay safe.
So....If he is correct the Assad government has a militia made up of Iranian trained, Hezbollah back, fighters....Hmmm...What would we rather have.....A government propped up by Iran and Hezbollah or a group of anti-government fighters back by the likes of AlQaeda?? Or how about a group like the Muslim Broherhood which is backed the Iran and Hezbollah.....
Give them all more bullets.
This was kept secret because of life and death issues. I wished NBC and the other networks would think about that when it is the general public that is in harms way.
Glad everyone made it home safe - However, the comment we had to keep it under wraps because of life and death - how dare you. Media is always reporting on kidnappings until 'its their own'. EVERY life is important. If you report it on one report it on all. You should keep your mouth shut on a lot of reports but you don't. When it happens to someone else it's news....
Anyone that has ever traveled as part of their job knows the stress of being on the road away from home. Mr. Engel reports from all reaches of the earth under difficult circumstances. Each night I see his face I always wish him godspeed. Thank you Mr. Engel for your hard work and dedication to your job.
Richard, so VERY thankful you and your crew have made it through this terrible incident. Your reporting and insight on Middle Eastern events is spot on, and for that we are always grateful. Despite the risks, you are passionate in your work...thank you for all you do, and stay safe!
So when's the book coming out. Mark my words there's money here and one of them (maybe all) will capitalize on the whole thing. Shouldn't have been where they were, were captured, escaped - that should be it.
But it won't be.
Cheers for your safe return and please be safe!!!
I don't know but this story sounds as fake as the Lance Armstrong case. You do not come out of that scenario without any scratches and the funny part is that only Richard is the spokeman. He is smiling too as he recalls, you do that when you feel nervous and realize that the last sentence you just uttered lacked credibility. If you look in the eyes of the other 2 guys you see how questionable this whole thing is. In fact its questionable all the way to NBC news itself. You do not let the same people that just escaped be the same reporters of their own story. NBC should have investigated the truth of the story unless they conjured this whole thing for ratings. The 2 crew man would not have risked their jobs just to support Richard alone but they would obey an order from the top. Don't be gullible people.
I call B.S.