Hostage executed, website claims
2004-09-25 13:35
Baghdad - A posting on an Islamic internet site on Saturday claimed that an al-Qaeda-linked group had killed British hostage Kenneth Bigley.
The claim could not immediately be verified, but surfaced on a website usually used by followers of Jordanian terror mastermind Abu Musab al-Zarqawi to post their statements.
The site also claimed that seven British troops had been captured, but Capt Donald Francis, a spokesperson for the British military said that all forces "are accounted for".
He had no information on the claim about Bigley.
The militant group Tawhid and Jihad, led by al-Zarqawi, had threatened to kill Bigley unless Iraqi women are freed from prison.
The statement, which appeared on the site typed in red, consisted of a single line.
"Tawhid and Jihad announces that it has executed the British citizen and gives you the good news of kidnapping seven British soldiers," the statement said.
"We will be releasing the tape shortly."
The statement follows the beheadings of two American civil engineers who were taken hostage last week with Bigley.
The 62-year-old Briton was shown in a videotape on Wednesday begging authorities to meet his kidnappers' demands and save his life.
The Foreign Office in London said it was aware of such a claim, but described it as a "discredited" site.
"We don't think it's anything to be taken too seriously," the Foreign Office statement said.
- AP