Bigley: Family will pay
2004-10-04 12:56
London - British hostage Ken Bigley's family said they would pay to get him back.
Bigley, who was kidnapped in Iraq 18 days ago, may have been handed over to another militant group, his brother Paul told Sky News television on Monday.
Sky News said Bigley, who was interviewed at his home in the Netherlands, heard about his brother's possible transfer by media in Kuwait, the same source that first reported the release of two Italian hostages last week.
Bigley, 62, and two American colleagues were kidnapped by the Tawhid wal Jihad group (Unity and Holy War) led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, suspected of having links to al-Qaeda.
The two Americans were beheaded.
Following unconfirmed reports on Saturday in the Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai Al-Aam that Zarqawi had handed Bigley over to another group likely to demand a ransom, Paul Bigley said his family would be ready to pay to get his brother back.
- AFP