Police on Thursday interrupted a live Al Jazeera broadcast from Zarqa and briefly detained the satellite channel's crew and confiscated their camera and tapes. The incident took place as Al Jazeera's correspondent Yasser Abu Hilala was interviewing the brother-in-law of the former Al Qaeda frontman in Iraq Abu Mussab Zarqawi.
Government Spokesperson Nasser Judeh, however, said Abu Hilala had not been held by police, stressing that the live interview was halted due to high emotions among local people. "Maybe some people felt that Al Jazeera's coverage or approach wasn't balanced and so emotions were charged, especially for the families of those who died in the 11/9 bombings," he said. The interview was cut off as Zarqawi's in-law, known as Abu Qudama, was praising the dead Al Qaeda leader and depicting him as a hero. |