(RepublicanView.org) – Terry Anderson, 76, an Associated Press journalist who was held hostage for several years by Islamic militants while on assignment in Lebanon, has died.
Anderson was at his Greenwood Lake home in New York with family. His daughter, Sulome Anderson, said his death stemmed from complications that followed a recent heart procedure. She also said that he “found a quiet, comfortable peace in recent years” despite the years of torture and imprisonment he endured. Sulome also said her father didn’t like being called a hero.
Don Mell, a previous colleague from the AP, praised Anderson for his willingness to risk his life to ensure that the American people were properly informed of important events. He also noted that his relationship with Anderson extended beyond a single event. Mell was present as a photographer when Anderson was kidnapped.
Anderson was among a small number of western journalists assigned to the Middle East who were willing to ask tough questions about the Lebanon government’s actions. He was detained by “gun-toting kidnappers” on March 16, 1985. Anderson would later state that his captors believed him to be a spy.
Anderson spent the next seven years in captivity. During that time, he was chained to walls, beaten, interrogated and threatened at gunpoint, and locked in solitary confinement for extended periods. He broke the record for the length of time any journalist has ever been held captive by a terrorist group at that time.
Anderson and others discussed his refusal to remain a quiet prisoner. He frequently made demands for better food, housing, and treatment. He also debated with his kidnappers on political and religious issues frequently. He also helped prisoners communicate with each other covertly through sign language.
He pursued different interests after his release, including teaching and entrepreneurship as a restaurant owner. However, his family said he was troubled by his hostage experience. Anderson filed for bankruptcy in 2009.
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