Head of slain American hostage Paul Johnson Jr.found

The head of slain American hostage Paul Johnson Jr., who was kidnapped and decapitated by militants in Saudi Arabia last month, was found by security forces during a raid that targeted the Saudi al-Qaeda chief. Two militants were killed, the Interior Ministry said Wednesday.

The Interior Ministry said the head was discovered in a freezer in a house, although Johnson's body was not found and a further search was being conducted.

The spokeswoman for the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh, Carol Kalin, said that Saudi authorities had informed the embassy of the discovery and that consular officials in Washington were in the process of notifying Johnson's family.

The Interior Ministry said the raid occurred in the King Fahd neighborhood of Riyadh. An earlier statement from an official at the ministry said authorities were holding the wife and three children of Saleh Mohammed al-Aoofi, the man believed to be al-Qaeda chief in Saudi Arabia, after the raid.

Johnson, a 49-year-old engineer who had worked in Saudi Arabia for more than a decade, was kidnapped June 12 by militants in Riyadh who followed through on a threat to kill him if the kingdom did not release its al-Qaeda prisoners. An al-Qaeda group claiming responsibility posted an Internet message that showed grisly photographs of a beheaded body on June 17. Later, video of the beheading was posted.

Hours after the pictures of the beheading appeared on the internet, Saudi security forces shot and killed Abdulaziz al-Moqrin, alleged mastermind of Johnson's kidnapping and beheading.

Last week, U.S. authorities announced the search for Johnson's body had been called off.

Source: Agencies

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