The American contractor kidnapped in Saudi Arabia, purportedly by al-Qaida, placed great value in Arabic culture and once sent a copy of the Quran to his sister, his son said.
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Paul Johnson Jr. highlighted passages from the Islamic holy text that he felt were especially important, said Paul Johnson III.
"He felt he never had any fear for his safety and respects and honors their traditions and cultures," his son said Monday. "Dad said many times he loved living in Saudi Arabia."
The younger Johnson traveled Monday from Florida to join his New Jersey relatives days after a purported al-Qaida statement threatened to treat his father as U.S. troops treated Iraqi prisoners at the Abu Ghraib prison.
"We are extremely distraught by this unforseen situation," Johnson III said. He added the family was praying for "the safe and the speedy return of my father."
Earlier in the day, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said the U.S. ambassador to Saudi Arabia "has been assured by the Saudi authorities that they are doing everything possible to resolve this kidnapping."
A sign fastened to a utility pole across from Johnson's sister's house in Little Egg Harbor house read, "Our prayers are with the Johnson family."
A purported al-Qaida statement, posted late Saturday on an Islamic Web site, included a passport-size photo of Paul Johnson and a Lockheed Martin business card bearing his name.
According to the company's Web site, Johnson was based in Orlando and worked as a field engineer in Riyadh supporting the Apache helicopter program.
In a memo to employees on the Web site from chief executive officer Vance Coffman and chief operating officer Bob Stevens, the company said, "We are all deeply concerned and are working closely with the officials of the U.S. and Saudi governments -- as well as Paul's family -- to monitor the situation and assist in whatever way possible."
Johnson, 49, had been scheduled to come back to the United States in June, but that planned vacation was pushed back until the fall.
His mother, Delores, and brother, Wayne, live in the Manahawkin section of Stafford Township.
"I just don't want to hear bad news because I know they're sadistic," said his brother, Wayne Johnson, 48. "The more people know about it then maybe they can get him out safe."
The news hit hard in Johnson's boyhood hometown of West Creek in Eagleswood, a small hamlet about a half hour north of Atlantic City.
"It's shocking," said Jack Kelly, a former mayor of Eagleswood. "All we can do is hope for the best. Our prayers are with the family and with Paul."
Paul Johnson Jr., a former Air Force service member, moved from New Jersey to Florida in the early 1980s to work for Lockheed Martin. He had worked in Saudi Arabia for more than a decade, his son said.
Johnson is married to Noon Johnson, a native of Thailand, and the two were building a home in Thailand, relatives said.
Johnson's son, a drywall contractor, said Noon Johnson was staying with friends in Saudi Arabia.
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