Japanese man taken hostage
2005-05-10 12:08
Baghdad - A Japanese national was kidnapped in Iraq after his convoy was ambushed at night and a firefight, lasting several hours, broke out.
"There were casualties, both wounded and dead" among those travelling with the convoy, a US officer told AFP.
Tokyo native Akihito Saito, who was working as a consultant for the British security firm Hart, is believed to have been taken hostage by Islamic militants during the ambush overnight on Sunday to Monday, near the town of Hit, some 150km northwest of Baghdad.
Al-Qaeda-linked group Ansar al-Sunna released identity card copies giving the Japanese hostage's name and said he had been captured during a "fierce battle" in western Iraq.
A convoy of several cars was ambushed after leaving a US base, the Japanese foreign ministry said.
"Some of the cars managed to get away and some were stuck," a diplomatic source said here.
"It was quite messy" with a firefight going on for several hours overnight before US forces arrived on the scene in the morning, the source added.
It was not immediately known how many people were killed or wounded, but the Japanese foreign ministry said Saito was seriously wounded and a number of other foreigners killed.