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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Missing BBC correspondent 'alive' | Missing BBC correspondent 'alive' |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Missing BBC reporter Alan Johnston is still alive, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says. | Missing BBC reporter Alan Johnston is still alive, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says. |
| "Our intelligence services have confirmed to me that he's alive," Mr Abbas told reporters in Sweden. | "Our intelligence services have confirmed to me that he's alive," Mr Abbas told reporters in Sweden. |
| Johnston, 44, has not been seen since he was seized at gunpoint on his way home in Gaza City on 12 March. | Johnston, 44, has not been seen since he was seized at gunpoint on his way home in Gaza City on 12 March. |
| On Sunday, an unknown militant group said it had killed him, but the BBC said and Palestinian officials said they could not verify the claim. | |
| Mr Abbas said he knew which group was holding Mr Johnston but did not give any details. | Mr Abbas said he knew which group was holding Mr Johnston but did not give any details. |
| In Gaza, a senior security official said the earlier reports of Mr Johnston's death were unfounded. | |
| Mohammed al-Masri said that the available evidence suggested that he was alive and in secure conditions. | |
| 'Good news' | 'Good news' |
| Mr Johnston's father, Graham, said he was delighted at the report. | Mr Johnston's father, Graham, said he was delighted at the report. |
| "That's good news, that's really good news," he said. | "That's good news, that's really good news," he said. |
| "This is the news I've been waiting to hear and I don't think the Palestinian president would say this unless he was convinced it was true. | "This is the news I've been waiting to hear and I don't think the Palestinian president would say this unless he was convinced it was true. |
| "But we still don't have proof of life. That's what I want desperately. It's been nearly six weeks now." | "But we still don't have proof of life. That's what I want desperately. It's been nearly six weeks now." |
| In a statement, the BBC also welcomed the report, adding that it wanted "firm evidence of Alan's well-being and his immediate release". | In a statement, the BBC also welcomed the report, adding that it wanted "firm evidence of Alan's well-being and his immediate release". |
| The signs are encouraging, but Gaza is a fractured, lawless place where truth and rumour are hard to distinguish, says the BBC's Keith Adams. | |
| Protests against Mr Johnston's kidnap have been held in Britain, the Palestinian territories and other parts of the Middle East almost daily since his abduction. | Protests against Mr Johnston's kidnap have been held in Britain, the Palestinian territories and other parts of the Middle East almost daily since his abduction. |
| On Wednesday, a leader of Mr Abbas' Fatah movement jailed in Israel, Marwan Barghouti, added his voice to calls for the reporter's release. | On Wednesday, a leader of Mr Abbas' Fatah movement jailed in Israel, Marwan Barghouti, added his voice to calls for the reporter's release. |