From The Sunday Times
The kidnappers of five British hostages seized in Baghdad last year have claimed in a videotaped statement that one of the men has killed himself. According to the statement, the hostage — named only as Jason — died on May 25, four days before the first anniversary of the abduction.
The claim is made in a video passed to The Sunday Times in Baghdad last week. Another hostage is shown appealing for the British government to hasten the men’s release. British officials said there was “no immediate corroboration” of the kidnappers’ claim that Jason was dead.
An intermediary who handed the video to a representative of this newspaper said the hostage had made two previous attempts at suicide. He said proof of death would be provided only if the British government agreed to negotiate.
The hostages, an IT consultant named Peter Moore and four bodyguards, were kidnapped almost 14 months ago from the Iraqi finance ministry by a Shi’ite group. They are seeking the release of nine prisoners in American detention.
Two of the guards are called Jason and the others are named Alan and Alec. Their full names have been withheld at their families’ request.
The video, entitled Intihar — Arabic for suicide — opens with a photograph of a man wearing a football shirt. He is identified as Jason in the statement, which appears on screen in Arabic and is signed, “The Shi’ite Islamic Resistance in Iraq”.
The statement accuses the British government of responding indifferently to messages from the kidnappers and their captives. It claims that despite repeated warnings about the men’s psychological condition, little has been done to end their ordeal.
“This procrastination and foot-dragging and lack of seriousness on the part of the British government has prolonged their psychological deterioration, pushing one of them, Jason, to commit suicide on 25/5/2008,” the statement says. “He surprised our brethren, who were taking care of him, with his suicide.” The captors say they regret Jason’s death but hold the British government responsible for the hostages’ fate.
Gordon Brown raised their plight in talks with Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi prime minister, during a visit to Baghdad yesterday. “We both share a desire to see them returned safely to their families,” he said last night. “Clearly this is a very distressing development. We are taking this very seriously. There are many people working behind the scenes trying to find a solution.”
I know that deals and capitulation will only encourage more hostage taking. I pray that the families are being kept informed and that the apparent lack of interest and action (other than by Canon Andrew White and Dr Carey) is merely to protect operations. I really want to believe Gordon Brown.