GAZA CITY, Aug 23: A previously unknown Palestinian group in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday claimed last week’s kidnapping of two journalists from the US Fox News television network, demanding that all Muslim prisoners in the United States be released within 72 hours.

The US State Department rejected the demands, insisting that the pair be released unconditionally.

The Holy Jihad Brigades claimed the August 14 kidnapping in a statement released in Gaza and showed a video of the two men, US national Steve Centanni and freelance cameraman Olaf Wiig from New Zealand.

“We will give you one chance that will not be repeated — the liberation of Muslims detained in American prisons in exchange for the detainees in our hands,” the group said in a statement.

“We give you a deadline of 72 hours starting from today at noon to decide,” the statement said, addressing the United States. “If you satisfy our condition, we will keep our promise.”

In Washington, a State Department spokesman said: “As we have maintained publicly, we do not make concessions to terrorists and we continue to call for the release of these journalists unconditionally.”—AFP