June 09, 2006

Slain Hostage's Family Relieved at Zarqawi Death

The family of Jack Hensley, an American civilian hostage murdered by Abu Musab al Zarqawi, says justice has been served.

[Right: Abu Musab al Zarqawi can be seen reading a message shortly before he murders Jack Hensly. Below: Jack Hensley appears on Zarqawi propaganda video in which the al Qaeda leader announced that he would murder the hostage unless all his demands were met]

Unlike the father of Zarqawi murder victim Nick Berg--who continued to blame President Bush for his sons death despite the fact that the al Qaeda leader personally cut his son's head off--the Hensly family seems to be having a more rational response to Zarqawi's death.

AP:

The brother of a Georgia man who was taken hostage and killed in Iraq said justice was served in the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the presumed mastermind of Jack Hensley's killing.

"I'm thankful this guy can't hurt anybody else," Ty Hensley told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Thursday.

But Ty Hensley, who lives in Charlotte, N.C., also said he feels renewed sadness and anger toward Al-Zarqawi.

"It is a personal thing," he said. "He desecrated my family."

Pati Hensley [Jack's wife] was relieved by the news of al-Zarqawi's death, said Jake Haley, a family friend who spoke to reporters at her home at her request. She left town to avoid the media spotlight.

Jake Haley said he e-mailed the news to Pati Hensley before dawn Thursday. Shortly afterward, he visited the home and the two sat out in the back deck talking.

"We cried," Haley said. "We were both happy about it. It's not just Jack. This guy murdered a bunch of people. There were a lot of really nice Iraqi people that this man killed the same way."