AMMAN, July 8: The ailing brother of an American beheaded last month in Saudi Arabia and a US-based peace activist travelled on Thursday to the family home in Jordan of suspected Al Qaeda operative Abu Mussab Zarqawi.

Indian-born evangelist Dr K.A. Paul and Wayne Johnson told a press conference they went to the home in Zarqa, northeast of Amman, as part of efforts to call for the return of Paul Johnson's body.

Mr Paul said he met briefly one of Zarqawi's sisters, while Johnson, who suffers manic depression and alcoholism and walks with a cane, stayed in the car. "We spent a few minutes, asking them important questions we wanted answered (such as) 'do you support terrorism or do you support peace?', and they said they are opposed to terrorism," Mr Paul said.

He said Zarqawi's sister "was gracious enough to answer my questions and talk, and we had a brief prayer". She said "we do oppose terrorism. We feel sorry for Johnson's family. We support peace and promoting peace. We are not a terrorist family."

He added: "We wanted the victim Johnson, the only brother who is still alive, and the Zarqawi family to voice support for peace, to say enough is enough, that terrorism will not be successful no matter where it is." Wayne Johnson, who sat in a daze, was too confused to speak about the visit to the Zarqawi home. -AFP