Dubai: Abbas Al Lawati has always had an instinct for a good story. He chased hints and stray leads that always turned into great stories. But he never imagined that he would one day become the story.
When he first approached us — excited as usual — seeking permission to accompany the Freedom Flotilla, I had the feeling that if anybody would do this noble mission justice in the media, it would be Abbas.
He is a young Omani; a typical new Gulf breed that is totally into Facebook, Twitter and the iPhone. But inside the tech-savvy energetic reporter is a passionate lover of Palestine.
He thought of the Freedom Flotilla mission as not just a story, but also a duty to help "the kids of Gaza" as he put it in one of the editorial meetings to prepare for the assignment.
Once he landed in Istanbul, the rush of stories and features started. He, in fact, kept reporting minutes before the Israeli action. His last email was sent 19 minutes after midnight. Two hours earlier he called to say that he was going to sleep for a couple of hours "and wake up early to catch the full action". I told him: "Don't catch too much action, you would get cold."
Abbas thought the aid ships will only be forced to dock at an Israeli port. "Three Israeli warships are heading towards the flotilla. Emergency teams are distributing life jackets. Some are seen wearing gas masks. Sirens heard," he wrote in one of his last emails. Little did he know that the Israeli commandos would start shooting at unarmed civilians — that is when we lost contact with him.
For hours, Abbas was ‘lost'. Colleagues worked the phones and email calling people they never knew and contacting officials they knew would never respond.
I have never seen so many people praying in the newsroom — all for his safe return. At 9.15pm, the call came. Abbas spoke to his brother; he was safe. He will be back all right, and with a terrific story. I wonder though if we will be sending him on another assignment soon.
