Iraqi American Hostage Is Shown on Arab TV

Aban Elias, an Iraq-born American kidnapped near Fallouja, was described Thursday as a dapper entrepreneur who cares deeply about his religion and the fate of his native land.

Fellow Muslims held a special prayer for him at Denver’s Abu Bakr Islamic Center, where he regularly attended services. Meanwhile, his family struggled with feelings of helplessness and his friends said they couldn’t imagine why he would have been targeted.

“I feel like I can do nothing,” said Elias’ brother, Kazwan, 35. “I would like to know what I could do.”

Aban Elias, 41, a civilian who had gone to Iraq to open a business, was shown blindfolded on Dubai-based Al Arabiya television Thursday. He called on Islamic organizations to help win his freedom. The kidnappers, who made no demands, identified themselves as the Islamic Rage Brigade. They said the kidnapping took place Monday.

Kazwan Elias said he did not believe his brother was working for the U.S. government in any capacity.

The older sibling, a naturalized American, was born in Baghdad and came to the U.S. in 1982. He attended Denver’s Metropolitan State College, where he earned a degree in civil engineering. After operating a travel agency in Denver, he moved to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates to work as a civil engineer. A year ago, his brother said, he returned to Baghdad to stake a claim in the new Iraq by opening a gravel operation.

“He wanted to help repair some of the bomb damage there and help the country get back on its feet,” Kazwan Elias said. “He wasn’t expecting to be a millionaire, but he was an entrepreneur.”

Aban Elias’ his wife and three children live in Amman, Jordan. His parents live in Denver.

Bill Atkinson, manager of the southeast Denver condo complex where Aban lived, said he was so handsome that he should have been a movie star.

“He was very good looking and always wore suits and ties,” Atkinson recalled. “I’m shocked this happened. Here I was feeling sorry for this other hostage [contract worker Thomas Hamill], then he escaped, and now Aban gets captured.”

Colorado Gov. Bill Owens issued a statement saying all Americans are dismayed by the kidnapping. “We pray for the swift and safe return of Aban Elias,” he said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family in this difficult time.”

Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper echoed the sentiment, saying the city “stands with Aban Elias and his family right now.”

Marilyn Johnson knew Elias when he was in college. His favorite hangout was the Khyber Pass, a Denver restaurant.

“He was very good looking, all the girls loved him,” she said. “He had his own business called Elias Travel. I don’t know what he was doing in Iraq. I didn’t recognize him at first when I saw his picture on television.”

Johnson, 45, said the Elias family was very much assimilated into American culture.

At the Abu Bakr mosque, Imam Ahmad Nabhan was shocked that a Muslim was kidnapped by fellow Muslims. He said hostage taking in general was permitted in Islam only under dire circumstances such as war between Muslims and non-Muslims, and even then rarely. But it was never permissible for Muslims to kidnap one another.

“This is not right and I believe after a few hours, when they realize his background, they will let him go,” said Nabhan, originally from Egypt.

Nabhan said Elias attended prayers every week and often talked to him about what was happening in Iraq.

“He was very concerned about his religion and his people,” he said. “But he was very happy here and he liked this country. America helped him a lot.”

Nabhan is hoping for the best. “If they are good Muslims they will let him go,” he said. “If not, who knows.”