Was al Qaeda Targeting Russell Crowe?
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James Joyner | Wednesday, March 9, 2005 |
Was al Qaeda targeting Russell Crowe? (AP) CNN, Fox, ABC
Russell Crowe says Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda terror network wanted to kidnap him as part of a “cultural destabilization plot,” according to an Australian magazine. In an interview published in the March edition of Australia’s GQ magazine, Crowe said FBI agents told him of the threat in 2001, in the months before he won a best actor Oscar for his role as Maximus in “Gladiator.” “That was the first (time) I’d ever heard the phrase ‘al Qaeda,’ ” Crowe said. “It was about — and here’s another little touch of irony — taking iconographic Americans out of the picture as sort of a cultural destabilization plot,” he added.
Crowe was born in New Zealand and has a ranch in eastern Australia but made his name in Hollywood. It was not clear if there were other targets in the plot.
Crowe said he was shadowed by FBI agents after the threat and hired private security guards.
Oddly, Crowe was on the cover of the March issue of GQ’s American edition as well, but was merely part of the “The Ten Greatest Actors of Our Generation” feature.
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
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It's sounds ridiculous on the face of it, but I do remember that there were reports shortly after the Oscars that year that he was targeted for kidnapping or something similar. I remember hearing that the FBI contacted him about it rather than it being a case of him contacting law enforcement because of a stalker. It is odd, though, that Al Qaeda would target celebrities like that.
Things can get complicated when it comes to protecting possible kidnapping targets. This situation (Russell Crow) is even more dangerous/ complicated because you have (from what we are told) terrorist( trained and armed invdividuals)involved in the plot.
Having provided security for celebrites, executive, and individuals who have been under some sort of threat, I can tell you this is not an easy task.
This becomes more of an issue with a celebrity. They have to be in the lime light to promote upcoming movies, etc...,
This makes our job much harder then say if we were able to put them in a safe house and then deal with the threat.
Regards,
Sunil Ram
Director of Operations
Executive Security Services International
(Canada)
http://www.essi.cbj.net
Tel: 705.788.1957
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