ROME, March 8 (Xinhuanet) -- An old video of former Italian hostage Giuliana Sgrena was released on Tuesday with new comment saying that no ransom had been paid for her release, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

    According to the report the tape was sent to the Baghdad officeof the Associated Press Television News and showed old footage of two armed Iraqi men standing behind journalist Sgrena, who was released last Friday.

    An off-screen male voice which had been added to the footage said the group holding Sgrena had rejected the offer of a ransom.

    It also accused American soldiers of deliberately firing on thecar which had been taking the journalist to Baghdad airport.

    "America eats its allies. America stabs its allies. The Resistance knew that the CIA wanted to kill the journalist, the voice said.

    The images of Sgrena and two of her captors were taken from a video issued last Friday just prior to her release.

    In that video, Sgrena thanked her kidnappers for treating her well and stressed the insurgents were "determined to free their country from occupation."

    She appears calm and well in the footage, standing in a white room behind a bowl of fruit.

    The images are in stark contrast to an earlier video of the journalist in which she appeared desperate and tearful as she appealed for help.

    Sgrena was released on Friday through the mediation of Italy's military intelligence service SISMI. On her way to Baghdad airportthe car she was riding in was fired upon by American forces that killed Italian agent Nicola Calipari, who had obtained Sgrena release and used his body to shield her.

    Sgrena was seized on Feb. 4 while driving away from a mosque inBaghdad where she had been interviewing Sunni Muslims.

    She works for Italian leftwing daily Il Manifesto. Enditem