BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhuanet) -- The BBC said Sunday it had no verification of the announced killing of its reporter Alan Johnston by al-Qaida-linked Tawad and Jihad Brigades, and his parents on Monday issued an appeal for news of his condition.

    Graham and Margaret Johnston, who live in Scotland, released a statement saying this was a "desperately worrying time" for them.

    "We make a heartfelt appeal to anyone who may have knowledge of Alan's situation and well-being to contact the authorities in Gaza," they said.

    The British Broadcasting Corporation said it was "deeply concerned" about the statement by the Tawad and Jihad Brigades but was treating it as a "rumor with no independent verification."

    The BBC is working with Palestinian officials to investigate the claim, a spokesman for the news organization said.

    "For more than a day now we have been seeking independent verification and demanding urgent clarification from the Foreign Office and the Palestinian authorities," the corporation's Director-General Mark Thompson said at a Monday afternoon vigil for BBC staff in London.

    "But right now, the report is simply rumor."

    The Tawad and Jihad Brigades, in a faxed statement Sunday to various news agencies, promised to "distribute a video showing his killing to media channels soon."

    Palestinian officials said they have no evidence or information Johnston, who was apparently abducted at gunpoint on March 12, was killed.

    (Agencies)