Egyptian diplomat kidnapped

2004-07-23 21:07

Cairo - Iraqi militants have kidnapped an Egyptian diplomat, according to the Egyptian foreign ministry and a video tape broadcast on the pan-Arab satellite channel Al-Jazeera on Friday.

The diplomat, identified as Mohammed Mamdouh Helmi Qutb, was shown seated in front of six masked kidnappers in black clothes and holding firearms.

The group, which called itself the Lions of Allah Brigade, said it had abducted him because the Egyptian government had said it was prepared to deploy security experts to help the interim government in Iraq.

An Egyptian foreign ministry official said: "The kidnapping is now confirmed."

He declined to identify the kidnapped diplomat, but other foreign ministry officials earlier confirmed they had a diplomat in their Baghdad mission by the name of Mamdouh Qutb.

The Al-Jazeera newscaster read a report of what was on the video tape, and made no specific threat against the diplomat.

The newscaster quoted the hostage - who wore a pale, open-necked shirt - as saying he was being treated well.

Kidnappers did not make any demands

The hostage also said the Egyptian mission in Baghdad was not co-operating with the United States-led multinational force and was trying to help the reconstruction of Iraq.

At Al-Jazeera's head office in Qatar, a producer said the station received the tape on Friday from its bureau in Baghdad.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the producer said the kidnappers do not make any demands in the five-minute tape.

Egypt has offered to train Iraqi police and security personnel in Egypt, but it has declined to deploy military forces in Iraq.

Egypt and Iraq have diplomatic missions in each other's capitals as they have not restored relations to ambassadorial level.

- AP