Friend takes release of kidnapped contractor into his own hands

(AP) A Minneapolis man who went on his own intelligence-gathering trip to the Middle East after his friend and three other American security contractors were kidnapped said Thursday he has a plan to secure their release.

The four Americans, along with an Austrian colleague, were kidnapped Nov. 16 in southern Iraq when their truck convoy was ambushed.

Mark Koscielski, a Minneapolis gun-shop owner who is friends with Paul Reuben, one of the contractors, said Thursday in a radio interview that he, other friends, and family members of the four Americans had raised about $150,000 they hope to use as a ransom to obtain their release.

Reached later by phone, Koscielski refused to divulge any details of his plan, which he's dubbed "Save 5." He said he and family members of several of the contractors would release further details at a July 14 press conference in a Minneapolis suburb.

"We may have a way to get these guys back in a peaceful way," Koscielski told The Associated Press. Koscielski traveled on his own to Kuwait in March in what he has described as an intelligence-gathering trip, and on his personal Web site he's been highly critical of efforts by the U.S. government to rescue the hostages, who were employees of Crescent Security Group Inc.

Koscielski maintained that family members of the men are also frustrated with the government's response. In March, Sharon DeBrabander, the mother of one of the men, John Roy Young of Kansas City, endorsed Koscielski's efforts and was critical of the U.S. government for what she said was a lack of information about her son's status.

DeBrabander did not return a phone call seeking comment Thursday. Francis Cote, father of kidnapped contractor Jon Cote of Buffalo, N.Y., said Thursday he didn't oppose Koscielski's efforts, but "I don't think they'll be successful," he said. "Frankly, I don't know how he'll get into that country."

Cote said he continues to believe that pursuing the hostages' release through political channels is the best option. The last video of the hostages was released in December.

Family members of Reuben, a former St. Louis Park police officer, and the fourth hostage, Josh Munns of Redding, Calif., did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.

U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said Thursday she's been in contact with Reuben's family and is sympathetic to the frustrations of the families and friends of the hostages. She said she and some fellow senators from the home states of the hostages recently met with State Department officials and were assured that the investigation is still active.

"I insisted to them that this must be a top priority," Klobuchar said.

Paul McCabe, an FBI agent in Minneapolis, spoke with Koscielski before his March trip to Kuwait to express concerns that it might not be the most productive way to get the hostages released. On Thursday, he again questioned the wisdom of Koscielski's efforts.

"There's always a concern that if someone attempted to go over there, they're putting their own life in danger as well as the lives of those being held hostage," McCabe said.

Koscielski is a longtime gadfly in Minneapolis politics, having tussled for years with city officials over zoning for his gun shop, the last in the city limits. He's also been an outspoken critic of gun control legislation, and in 1995 infuriated some locals for coining the term "Murderapolis" during a sharp spike in murders in the city.

McCabe said efforts to rescue the hostages are best left to the government, and he said those efforts are still a top priority.

"The FBI, the U.S. military, the State Department and Iraqi authorities are coordinating the efforts and attempts to locate and bring these people back home," McCabe said. "It's a very difficult situation, it's a war zone, but significant efforts are made every day to locate them and free them."

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