- NEW: A friend of Weinstein's said his appearance has changed dramatically
- FBI says it is working to verify the authenticity of the video
- Weinstein was abducted in Pakistan in August 2011
- Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility and set out conditions for his release
(CNN) -- Captured American Warren Weinstein looks tired and pale and speaks in steady monotone in pleadiang for his freedom to President Barack Obama. In a video released by al Qaeda on Christmas Day, he says he feels abandoned and forgotten since his abduction more than two years ago.
"The years have taken their toll," Weinstein, 72, says in the 13-minute video. He says he is not in good health and that he suffers from acute asthma. He appeals to Obama, Secretary of State John Kerry, the media, the American public and finally his family.
"Nine years ago, I came to Pakistan to help my government and I did so at a time when most Americans would not come here," he said. "And now, when I need my government, it seems I have been totally abandoned and forgotten."
CNN cannot independently confirm the authenticity of the video, which was first posted on The Washington Post website. It was the second apparent proof of life in which Weinstein makes a direct plea to the Obama administration. The first was released in May 2012.
Warren Weinstein, a contractor held by al Qaeda militants, is a U.S. citizen held hostage in Pakistan since August 2011. 
U.S. tourist and Korean War veteran Merrill Newman arrives at the Beijing airport Saturday, December 7, after being released by North Korea. Newman was detained October 26 by North Korean authorities just minutes before he was to depart the country after visiting through an organized tour. His son Jeff Newman says the Palo Alto, California, man had all the proper paperwork and set up his trip through a North Korean-approved travel agency. 
An Iranian court threw out a death penalty conviction last year for Amir Hekmati, a former U.S. Marine charged with spying. But he still remains in solitary confinement at Iran's notorious Evin Prison. Hekmati was detained in August 2011 during a visit to see his grandmother; his family and the Obama administration deny accusations that he was spying for the CIA. 
A North Korean court sentenced Kenneth Bae, a U.S. citizen, to 15 years of hard labor for committing "hostile acts" against the state. Those alleged acts were not detailed by the country's state-run news agency when it announced the sentence Thursday, May 2. Bae, here in a photo from a Facebook page titled Remember Ken Bae, was arrested in November. "This was somebody who was a tour operator, who has been there in the past and has a visa to go to the North," a senior U.S. official told CNN. 
Mexican authorities arrested Yanira Maldonado, a U.S. citizen, right, on May 22, for alleged drug possession. She and her husband, Gary, were traveling from Mexico back to the United States when their bus was stopped and searched. She was released on Friday, May 31 and is back in the United States. 
Saeed Abedini, a 33-year-old U.S. citizen of Iranian birth, was sentenced to eight years in prison in January, accused of attempting to undermine the Iranian government and endangering national security by establishing home churches. 
North Korea has arrested Americans before, only to release them after a visit by a prominent dignitary. Journalists Laura Ling, center, and Euna Lee, to her right, spent 140 days in captivity after being charged with illegal entry to conduct a smear campaign. They were freed in 2009 after a trip by former President Bill Clinton. 
Former President Jimmy Carter negotiated the release of Aijalon Gomes, who was detained in 2010 after crossing into North Korea illegally from China. Analysts say high-level visits give Pyongyang a propaganda boost and a way to save face when it releases a prisoner. 
Eddie Yong Su Jun was released by North Korea a month after he was detained in April 2011. His alleged crime was not provided to the media. The American delegation that secured his freedom included Robert King, the U.S. special envoy for North Korean human rights issues. 
Robert Park was released by North Korea in 2010 without any apparent U.S. intervention. The Christian missionary crossed into North Korea from China, carrying a letter asking Kim Jong Il to free political prisoners and resign. North Korea's state-run news agency said Park was released after an "admission and sincere repentance of his wrongdoings." Here, Park holds a photo of Kim and a malnourished child during a protest in Seoul. 
Josh Fattal, center, Sarah Shourd, left, and Shane Bauer were detained by Iran while hiking near the Iraq-Iran border in July 2009. Iran charged them with illegal entry and espionage. Shourd was released on bail for medical reasons in September 2010; she never returned to face her charges. Bauer and Fattal were convicted in August 2011, but the next month they were released on bail and had their sentences commuted. 
Haleh Esfandiari, an Iranian-American scholar, was also detained at Evin Prison, spending months in solitary confinement before Iran released her on bail in August 2007. Esfandiari was visiting her ailing mother in Tehran when she was arrested and charged with harming Iran's national security. 
Alan Gross, at right with Rabbi Arthur Schneier, has been in Cuban custody since December 2009, when he was jailed while working as a subcontractor. Cuban authorities say Gross tried to set up illegal Internet connections on the island. Gross says he was just trying to help connect the Jewish community to the Internet. Former President Jimmy Carter and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson have both traveled to Cuba on Gross' behalf, but they were unable to secure his release. 
Sixteen Americans were among the dozens arrested in December 2011 when Egypt raided the offices of 10 nongovernmental organizations that it said received illegal foreign financing and were operating without a public license. Many of the employees posted bail and left the country after a travel ban was lifted a few months later. Robert Becker, right, chose to stay and stand trial. 
Freelance reporter James Foley went missing in November after his car was stopped by gunmen in Syria. He is likely being held by the Syrian government, according to the GlobalPost, an online international news outlet to which he contributed, and Foley's brother. 
Filmmaker Timothy Tracy was arrested in Venezuela in April on allegations of funding opponents of newly elected President Nicolas Maduro, successor to the late Hugo Chavez. Tracy went to Venezuela to make a documentary about the political division gripping the country. 
Retired FBI agent Robert Levinson has been missing since 2007. His family says he was working as a private investigator in Iran when he disappeared. It's believed Levinson, now 64, is being held captive somewhere in southwest Asia. 
Americans detained abroad 
Friend to American hostage: 'Hang on' "The U.S. government is working to verify the authenticity of the recently released video of Warren Weinstein," the FBI said in a statement. "We remain concerned for the safety and well-being of Mr. Weinstein and remain in contact with Warren Weinstein's family while we continue to monitor the situation."
State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf reiterated the government's call for Weinstein to be released.
U.S. officials have repeatedly said Washington will not bargain with al Qaeda.
Weinstein was abducted August 20, 2011, from his home in Lahore, Pakistan, shortly before he was planning to return to the United States. Gunmen posing as neighbors offered food, then pistol-whipped Weinstein and his driver and tied up his guards, according to U.S. Embassy and Pakistani officials.
In the latest video, Weinstein is dressed in a light gray track suit jacket and a black cap. He looks very different from when he was captured; he is gaunt and has a salt-and-pepper beard.
"Needless to say, I've been suffering deep anxiety every part of every day, not knowing what is happening to my family and not knowing how they are and because I am not with them," Weinstein said.
His appearance alarmed Laurie Wiseberg, who is a friend and former colleague of Weinstein.
"Quite honestly, I didn't recognize him in the picture. He has changed so dramatically from the person he used to be in terms of appearance and I would hope something could be done so he has a chance to be reunited with his family, his wife, his children and grandchildren, and not have to die in a foreign country far away from those he loves," Wiseberg told CNN's Don Lemon.
Wiseberg said she last spoke to Weinstein's wife "some months ago and she was quite in despair, but hoping very much that he would in fact be released."
In the video, Weinstein said his captors have agreed to let his family visit him, but only if Obama agrees to do the same for al Qaeda members held by the United States.
"Unless you continue to try to get President Obama and his administration to actively pursue my release, we may never see each other again," he said.
Weinstein was employed by J.E. Austin Associates Inc., a U.S. consulting firm based in Arlington, Virginia, that is a USAID contractor. He is a world-renowned development expert, according to the company's website.
No one else appears in the latest video of Weinstein. In it, he appeals to Obama as a family man.
"I am, therefore, appealing to you, on a humanitarian basis, if nothing else, in asking that you take the necessary actions to expedite my release and my return to my family and to my country. Our country."
Toward the end, he focuses on his wife and family.
"I would like them to know I love them very much and I think about each and every one of them every moment of every day of my captivity."
Weinstein's wife, Elaine, who lives in Rockville, Maryland, was not immediately available for comment.
CNN's Evan Perez contributed to this report.
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