Foreign hostages in Iraq
Encyclopedia
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Beginning in April 2004, members of the Iraqi insurgency
Iraqi insurgency
The Iraqi Resistance is composed of a diverse mix of militias, foreign fighters, all-Iraqi units or mixtures opposing the United States-led multinational force in Iraq and the post-2003 Iraqi government...
began taking foreign civilian hostage
Hostage
A hostage is a person or entity which is held by a captor. The original definition meant that this was handed over by one of two belligerent parties to the other or seized as security for the carrying out of an agreement, or as a preventive measure against certain acts of war...
s in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. Since then, they have kidnapped more than 200 foreigners and thousands of Iraqis; among them, dozens of foreign hostages have been killed. Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
(with 12) and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(with 11) rank the highest of hostages killed in Iraq. China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
ranks the highest (with 15) of hostages freed in Iraq followed by Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
(with 13) and Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
(with 10).
There are many motives behind these kidnappings. They include:
- influencing foreign governments with troops in Iraq
- influencing foreign companies with workers in Iraq
- ransomRansomRansom is the practice of holding a prisoner or item to extort money or property to secure their release, or it can refer to the sum of money involved.In an early German law, a similar concept was called bad influence...
money - discouraging travel to Iraq
In 2004, executions of captives were often filmed, and many were beheaded
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
. However, the number of the recorded killings decreased significantly. Many hostages remain missing with no clue as to their whereabouts. The United States Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
Hostage Working Group
Hostage Working Group
Hostage Working Group was organized by the US Department of State at the US Embassy in Baghdad in the summer of 2004 to monitor hostages in Iraq. Reported as meeting "weekly to bring together officials from the FBI, the Defense Department, the State Department and the Iraqi government...
was organized by the U.S. Embassy, Baghdad, in the summer of 2004 to monitor foreign hostages in Iraq.
The following is a list of known civilian foreign hostages in Iraq.
Released/Rescued
- John MartinkusJohn MartinkusJohn Martinkus is a print and television journalist renowned in his native Australia for his courageous reporting from conflict zones.He began reporting from Indonesian occupied East Timor in 1995 and set up base there permanently in 1998...
, a journalist for SBS Television, was kidnapped on October 16, 2004. He was released on October 18, 2004, after his captors used GoogleGoogleGoogle Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
to verify his status as a journalist. - Douglas Wood, construction engineer was kidnapped along with his driver and translator on April 30, 2005. The driver and translator were later killed. Wood was rescued on June 15, 2005 in a raid carried out by the Iraqi ArmyIraqi ArmyThe Iraqi Army is the land component of the Iraqi military, active in various forms since being formed by the British during their mandate over the country after World War I....
.
Killed
- Georgi Lazov and Ivailo Kepov, two truck drivers, were seized on June 29, 2004, near MosulMosulMosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
. Lazov's beheaded body was found on July 14, 2004; Kepov's on July 22, 2004.
Killed
- Zaid Meerwali, who held dual Canadian-Iraqi citizenship, was seized August 2, 2005, and $250,000 in ransom was demanded. Officials in Canada said, that on August 15, 2005, he had been shot in the head while the family was preparing the ransom money.
Released
- Reporter Michal Kubal and cameraman Petr Klíma, of Czech televisionCeská televizeČeská televize is the public television broadcaster in the Czech Republic, broadcasting four channels.- Czechoslovak Television :Television in Czechoslovakia started to take its first steps before World War II. However, before visible results could be achieved, all activities were interrupted by...
and Vít Pohanka from Czech RadioCeský rozhlasČeský rozhlas is the Czech Republic's publicly funded radio broadcasting organization.It offers the following radio channels:*ČRo 1 – Radiožurnál: news and information*ČRo 2 – Praha: talk and family programmes...
were kidnapped on April 11, 2004. They were freed April 16, 2004.
Killed
- Henrik Frandsen was abducted on April 11, 2004, while working on a sewage project, and found dead the next day.
Killed
- Fabrizio QuattrocchiFabrizio QuattrocchiFabrizio Quattrocchi was an Italian security officer taken hostage by Islamist militants in Iraq, notable for his defiance of captors shortly before being killed. He was born in Catania, Sicily but grew up in Genoa....
, a security guard captured with three others, was reported killed in a video released on April 14, 2004. - Enzo BaldoniEnzo BaldoniEnzo G. Baldoni was an Italian journalist working freelance and for the Italian news magazine . He was kidnapped near Najaf, Iraq, on August 21, 2004, by the "Islamic Army in Iraq", a Muslim fundamentalist terrorist organization, allegedly linked with Al-Qaeda. His driver-interpreter was killed...
, a reporter taken hostage in August and shown being killed in a video released on August 26, 2004. His Iraqi driver-translator was killed during the abduction. - Salvatore Santoro, a photojournalist, reported kidnapped and killed on December 16, 2004.
- Iyad Anwar WaliIyad Anwar WaliIyad Anwar Wali or Ayad Anwar Wali was a 44 year old Iraqi Italian businessman, who had lived in Italy for 24 years. His wife is an Italian citizen....
, an Italian-Iraqi businessman, was reported killed on October 2, 2004.
Released
- Umberto Cupertino, Maurizio Agliana and Salvatore Stefio were captured with security guard Fabrizio QuattrocchiFabrizio QuattrocchiFabrizio Quattrocchi was an Italian security officer taken hostage by Islamist militants in Iraq, notable for his defiance of captors shortly before being killed. He was born in Catania, Sicily but grew up in Genoa....
on April 29, 2004. The three were freed June 8, 2004. - Simona Pari and Simona Torretta, aid workers for a Bridge to Baghdad, were kidnapped along with two Iraqis on September 7, 2004. They were freed on September 28, 2004. Italy allegedly paid $5 million dollars in ransom for their release.
- Giuliana SgrenaGiuliana SgrenaGiuliana Sgrena is an Italian journalist who works for the Italian communist newspaper Il Manifesto and the German weekly Die Zeit. While working in Iraq, she was kidnapped by insurgents on February 4, 2005. After her release on March 4, 2005, Sgrena and the two Italian intelligence officers who...
, a reporter for Il Manifesto, was kidnapped on February 4, 2005. Her driver and translator managed to escape. When she was released on March 4, 2005, her car was shot at by US troops, and Italian agent Nicola CalipariNicola CalipariNicola Calipari was an Italian SISMI military intelligence officer with the rank of Major General. Calipari was killed by United States soldiers while escorting a recently released Italian hostage, journalist Giuliana Sgrena, to Baghdad International Airport.- Career :Calipari was born in Reggio...
was killed. Italy allegedly paid $6 million dollars in ransom for her release.
Killed
- Shosei KodaShosei KodaShosei Koda was a Japanese citizen who was kidnapped and later beheaded in Iraq on November 3, 2004 while touring the country. His parents were members of the United Church of Christ...
, a tourist, was confirmed beheaded on October 30, 2004. He had been kidnapped on October 26, 2004. - Akihiko SaitoAkihiko SaitoAkihiko Saito was a Japanese security guard, who was taken hostage by the Jaish Ansar al-Sunna in Iraq in 2005, and later died in captivity of wounds he had received in the earlier gunbattle in which he was captured...
, a security contractor, was kidnapped after a convoy attack and reported killed on May 28, 2005.
Released
- Soichiro Koriyama, Noriaki Imai, and Nahoko Takato, Japanese citizens were kidnapped on April 8, 2004, but released on April 15, 2004.
Killed
- Dalibor Lazarevski, Dragan Marković, and Zoran Naskovski, were kidnapped August 21, 2004, near Baghdad. They worked for Soufan Engineering, which caters to the needs of the US military and its private contractors. On October 22, 2004, the Macedonian government confirmed the three had been killed.
Released
- Faruk Ademi and Rasim Ramadani, two contractors working for a cleaning company at Basra International Airport were abducted on February 16, 2006. They were released on February 20, 2006.
Released
- Angelo de la Cruz, a truck driver, was taken hostage on July 7, 2004. De la Cruz was released after the Philippines withdrew their 51 troops in the country on July 20, 2004. His Iraqi security guard was killed during the abduction.
- Roberto Tarongoy, kidnapped on November 1, 2004. He was released eight months later, on June 22, 2005 after a ransom was paid.
Released
- Jerzy Kos, a contractor kidnapped on June 1, 2004, was freed in an operation on June 8, 2004.
- Teresa Borcz Khalifa, a Polish aid worker, was kidnapped on October 28, 2004. She was freed on November 20, 2004.
Released
- Marie Jeanne IonMarie Jeanne IonMarie Jeanne Ion is a Romanian journalist for Prima TV, taken hostage in Iraq on March 28, 2005, along with Sorin Mişcoci, Eduard Ohanesian and Mohammad Munaf. The hostage-takers were the Mouadh Ibn Jabal Brigade, who demanded the withdrawal of the 860 Romanian troops in Iraq in return for their...
, Sorin Dumitru Miscoci, and Ovidiu Ohanesian, journalists, were kidnapped on March 28, 2005 in Baghdad. Their Iraqi-American translator, Mohammad MunafMohammad MunafMohammad Munaf is a former Pakistani cricketer who played in four Tests from 1959 to 1962....
, also went missing with them. They were released on May 22, 2005. Munaf was accused by the Romanian government of organizing the kidnapping and was arrested.
Killed
- Kim Sun-ilKim Sun-ilKim Sun-il was a South Korean translator and Christian missionary who was kidnapped and beheaded in Iraq.- Kidnapping :...
, a translator, was kidnapped on May 30, 2004. He was beheaded in a video released June 22, 2004.
Released
- Five energy workers from Interenergoservis were kidnapped on April 12, 2004, along with 3 Russians and a man immediately released, all were released the next day with the insurgents apologizing, noting that they did not realise they were Russian and Ukrainian.
Killed
- Kenneth John BigleyKenneth BigleyKenneth John Bigley , born Liverpool, England, was a civil engineer who was kidnapped in the al-Mansour district of Baghdad, Iraq on 16 September 2004, along with his colleagues Jack Hensley and Eugene Armstrong, both U.S. citizens...
, a civil engineer, who was kidnapped September 16, 2004. The two Americans kidnapped with him were beheaded and Bigley was beheaded around October 7. - Jason Swindlehurst, Jason Creswell, Alec Maclachlan and Alan McMenemy, four security contractors kidnapped with Peter Moore, a computer consultant, on May 29, 2007. Their captors were Shia militiamen who demanded the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq and release of all Iraqi prisoners in exchange for the hostages's release. Jason, Peter and Alan appeared in videos released in November 2007, February 2008 and July 2008. The captors claimed that Swindlehurst killed himself on May 25, 2008. However, that turned out to be a lie. The bodies of Swindlehurst and Creswell were recovered on June 19, 2009. Both of them had been shot dead. On July 29, 2009, it was revealed that Maclachlan and McMenemy had also been killed. The body of Maclachlan was recovered on September 1, 2009. He had been shot dead. McMenemy's body has not been recovered.
Released
- Gary Teeley, a laundry contractor at an American base outside NasiriyahNasiriyahNasiriyah is a city in Iraq. It is on the Euphrates about 225 miles southeast of Baghdad, near the ruins of the ancient city of Ur. It is the capital of the province of Dhi Qar...
, was kidnapped on April 5, 2004. He was freed by his kidnappers on April 11, 2004. - James BrandonJames BrandonJames Brandon is a British journalist, most recently working in Iraq freelance on assignment from the Sunday Telegraph and The Scotsman, covering the occupation and insurgency...
, a freelance journalist for The Sunday Telegraph, was kidnapped after 30 masked gunmen stormed into his hotel in BasraBasraBasra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
on August 12, 2004. He was freed on August 13, 2004, by his captors. - Phillip Sands, a freelancer reporter, was abducted on December 26, 2005, along with his interpreter and driver. His abductors were gunmen who planned on using him to get Britain to pull all troops out of Iraq and release all Iraqi prisoners. Phillip was filmed pleading for his life. However, the tape was never sent to Al Jazeera. On December 31, 2005, Phillip and his two colleagues were rescued by U.S. troops who revealed that no one knew they were missing.
- Norman Frank KemberNorman KemberNorman Frank Kember is an Emeritus Professor of biophysics at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry and a Christian pacifist active in campaigning on issues of war and peace. As a Baptist, a long-standing member of the Baptist Peace Fellowship and the Fellowship of Reconciliation...
, an aid worker for Christian Peacemaker Teams, was kidnapped along with two Canadians and an American on November 27, 2005. He was freed in a Coalition raid March 23, 2006. See 2005-2006 Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis2005-2006 Christian Peacemaker hostage crisisThe Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis involved four human rights workers of Christian Peacemaker Teams who were held hostage in Iraq from November 26, 2005 by the Swords of Righteousness Brigade...
. - Richard Butler, a journalist working for CBS NewsCBS NewsCBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
, was kidnapped in Basra on February 10, 2008, with his Iraqi interpreter Aqeel Khadhir. The translator was freed on February 13, 2008. Butler was rescued on April 14, 2008 by Iraqi forces. - Peter Moore, a computer consultant, and his four security guards were kidnapped from the Iraqi Finance ministry on May 29, 2007. Peter and two of his security guards appeared in videos released in November 2007, February 2008 and July 2008. Their captors were Shia militiamen who demanded the withdrawal of British troops from Iraq and the release of all Iraqi prisoners in exchange for the hostages's release. Their captors claimed that Swindlehurst killed himself on May 25, 2008. However that turned out to be a lie. The bodies of Swindlehurst and Creswell were recovered on June 19, 2009. Both of them were shot dead. On July 29, 2009, it was revealed that Maclachlan and McMenemy were also killed. The body of Maclachlan was recovered on September 1, 2009. He was also shot dead. McMenemy's body has not been recovered. Moore was released on December 30, 2009 in exchange for the release of Qais KhazaliQais KhazaliHujjat al-Islam Qais al-Khazali is best known as the founder and leader of the Iranian-backed Special Groups in Iraq from June 2006 until his capture by American forces in March 2007...
. He was the longest held foreign hostage in Iraq. In December 2009 evidence uncovered during an investigation by the Guardian newspaper newspaper and Guardian Films linked the Quds force to the kidnappings of Moore, Swindlehurst, Maclachlan, Cresswell and McMenemy.
Killed
- Nicholas Evan Berg, a businessman went missing on April 9, 2004. His widely-publicized beheading was shown in a video May 11, 2004. His body had been found the day before. Abu Musab al-ZarqawiAbu Musab al-ZarqawiAbu Musab al-Zarqawi ; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal al-Khalayleh was a Jordanian militant Islamist who ran a paramilitary training camp in Afghanistan...
personally beheaded Berg. - Eugene Olin "Jack" Armstrong, a contractor for the constructionConstructionIn the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
firm Gulf Supplies Commercial Services of the United Arab EmiratesUnited Arab EmiratesThe United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
, was kidnapped on September 16, 2004. He was beheadedDecapitationDecapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
on 20 September 2004. Abu Musab al-ZarqawiAbu Musab al-ZarqawiAbu Musab al-Zarqawi ; October 30, 1966 – June 7, 2006), born Ahmad Fadeel al-Nazal al-Khalayleh was a Jordanian militant Islamist who ran a paramilitary training camp in Afghanistan...
personally beheaded Armstrong. The following day, the group beheadedDecapitationDecapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
fellow American Jack HensleyJack HensleyJack Hensley was an American engineer from Marietta, Cobb County, Georgia, near Atlanta.While working in Iraq he was kidnapped and beheaded by Iraqi insurgents. His colleague, Eugene Armstrong, was beheaded the previous day...
, and threatened to kill their third hostage, Briton Kenneth BigleyKenneth BigleyKenneth John Bigley , born Liverpool, England, was a civil engineer who was kidnapped in the al-Mansour district of Baghdad, Iraq on 16 September 2004, along with his colleagues Jack Hensley and Eugene Armstrong, both U.S. citizens...
, unless the United States met their demands to free all women prisoners in Iraqi jails. Bigley was beheaded in October 2004. - Jack HensleyJack HensleyJack Hensley was an American engineer from Marietta, Cobb County, Georgia, near Atlanta.While working in Iraq he was kidnapped and beheaded by Iraqi insurgents. His colleague, Eugene Armstrong, was beheaded the previous day...
, a contractor, was kidnapped with Owen Eugene Armstrong and Kenneth BigleyKenneth BigleyKenneth John Bigley , born Liverpool, England, was a civil engineer who was kidnapped in the al-Mansour district of Baghdad, Iraq on 16 September 2004, along with his colleagues Jack Hensley and Eugene Armstrong, both U.S. citizens...
. He was beheaded September 21, 2004. - Ronald Alan Schulz, a security consultant, was reported kidnapped on December 6, 2005. On December 19, 2005, the Islamic Army released a video showing Schulz's killing in which he is shot in the head after the U.S. refused to release all Iraqi prisoners. His remains were found in September 2008 and confirmed to be Schulz's the next month.
- Thomas William FoxTom Fox (activist)Thomas William "Tom" Fox was an American Quaker peace activist, affiliated with Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq. He was kidnapped on November 26, 2005 in Baghdad along with three other CPT activists, leading to the 2005-2006 Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis...
, an aid worker working for Christian Peacemaker TeamsChristian Peacemaker TeamsChristian Peacemaker Teams is an international organization set up to support teams of peace workers in conflict areas around the world. These teams believe that they can lower the levels of violence through nonviolent direct action, human rights documentation, and nonviolence training. CPT sums...
, was reported kidnapped on November 27, 2005, along with two Canadians and a Briton. His body was found in a rubbish heap on March 10, 2006. See 2005-2006 Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis2005-2006 Christian Peacemaker hostage crisisThe Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis involved four human rights workers of Christian Peacemaker Teams who were held hostage in Iraq from November 26, 2005 by the Swords of Righteousness Brigade...
. - John Roy Young, Joshua Mark "Josh" Munns, Paul Christopher Johnson-Reuben and Jonathon Michael "Jon" Cote, four security contractors, were kidnapped with an Austrian named Bert Nussbaumer on November 16, 2006. They appeared in two hostage videos released in December 2006 and January 2007. Their kidnappers demanded $150,000 dollars, the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq and the release of all Iraqi prisoners in exchange for the hostages's release. Four fingers were sent to U.S. authorities in February 2008. The fingers belonged to Munns, Reuben, Cote and Nussbaumer. The bodies of Young, Nussbaumer, Munns and Reuben were recovered in March 2008. Cote's body was recovered in April 2008.
- Ronald J. Withrow, a contractor, was kidnapped along with his translator and driver on January 5, 2007. The translator and driver were found dead the next day. One of Withrow's fingers was sent to U.S. authorities in February 2008. His body was recovered in March 2008.
- Steven Charles VincentSteven VincentSteven Charles Vincent was an American author and journalist. In 2005 he was working as a freelance journalist in Basra, Iraq, reporting for The Christian Science Monitor, National Review, Mother Jones, Reason, Front Page and American Enterprise, among other publications, when he was abducted and...
, a journalist, was kidnapped along with his Iraqi translator, Nouriya Itais Wadi, in Basra on August 2, 2005. They were bound, gagged, taken to an undisclosed location where for five hours they were beaten and interrogated, then taken to the outskirts of town and shot. They were found by British and Iraqi policemen but Vincent was dead, shot in the back at close range. Wadi survived despite having been shot three times.
Released/Escaped
- Jill CarrollJill CarrollJill Carroll is an American former journalist who was kidnapped and ultimately released in Iraq. Carroll was a reporter for the Christian Science Monitor at the time of her kidnapping...
, a freelance reporter for the Boston-based Christian Science Monitor, was kidnapped in West Baghdad on the January 7, 2006, by unknown gunmen. Her translator was killed during the abduction. Her driver escaped. Her kidnappers demanded the release of all female Iraqi prisoners. She was shown in four videos during her captivity. She was released on March 30, 2006. - Micah GarenMicah GarenMicah Garen is a photographer, documentary filmmaker and writer, and founder of Four Corners Media.On August 13, 2004, Garen and his Iraqi translator, Amir Doushi, were kidnapped and held hostage in Nasiriya in southern Iraq...
, a freelance reporter, was kidnapped along with his Iraqi translator, Amir Doushi, on August 13, 2004, near NasiriyahNasiriyahNasiriyah is a city in Iraq. It is on the Euphrates about 225 miles southeast of Baghdad, near the ruins of the ancient city of Ur. It is the capital of the province of Dhi Qar...
. They were freed on August 22, 2004. - Roy HallumsRoy HallumsRoy Hallums is an American contractor who was kidnapped in Iraq on November 1, 2004. He was held in Iraq for 311 days and freed on September 7, 2005.-Life:...
, an employee of a Saudi trading company, was seized along with Roberto Tarangoy, Inus Dewari and three Iraqi security guards on November 1, 2004, in Baghdad. The three Iraqi security guards were released several days later. Dewari was released on November 10, 2004. Hallums was shown in a video aired on January 25, 2005. Tarongoy was released on June 22, 2005. On September 7, 2005, Hallums was freed in an operation by coalition troops. - Thomas Hamill, a truck driver, was seized in a deadly convoy attack on April 9, 2004 (see 2004 Iraq KBR Convoy Ambush2004 Iraq KBR convoy ambushThe 2004 Iraq KBR convoy ambush was an attack by Iraqi insurgents on April 9, 2004 during the Iraq War on a convoy of United States supply trucks near the Baghdad International Airport...
). He was later shown in a video, but escaped on May 1, 2004. - Issa T. SalomiIssa SalomiIssa T. Salomi is an Iraqi American civilian contractor who was kidnapped on January 23, 2010, and held by a Shiite Iraqi militia group...
, a civilian contractor, was kidnapped by a Shiite militia group on January 23, 2010, and shown in a video in February 2010. His kidnappers demanded the release of Iraqi prisoners, the withdrawal of all foreign troops from Iraq, the prosecution of security contractors employed by Blackwater WorldwideBlackwater WorldwideXe Services LLC, better known by its former names, Blackwater USA and Blackwater Worldwide, is a private military company founded in 1997 by Erik Prince and Al Clark.. Xe is currently the largest of the U.S. State Department's three private security contractors...
and compensation to Iraqi families. He was released on March 25, 2010 in exchange for the release of four Iraqi prisoners. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/06/AR2010020601062.htmlhttp://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=D9ENJ9PG0&show_article=1 - Paul TaggartPaul TaggartPaul Taggart is an American photographer and writer best known for his photographs from the Middle East and Africa.-Career:Taggart was one of the few unembedded western journalists to cover the month long battle and siege of Najaf, Iraq in 2004 between the Mahdi Militia and the coalition forces...
, a freelance photographer, was kidnapped on October 10, 2004. He was released on October 12, 2004.
Unknown
- Kirk von AckermannKirk von AckermannKirk von Ackermann was an American contractor.He was employed by Ultra Services of Istanbul, Turkey when he disappeared in Iraq on Thursday October 9, 2003. His whereabouts are still unknown. His car was found empty on a road between Kirkuk and Tikrit, with his equipment and $40,000 still inside....
, disappeared on October 9, 2003 after leaving a meeting at FOB Pacesetter. His vehicle was found abandoned later that same day. He is presumed dead. - Timothy Bell, a contractor for HalliburtonHalliburtonHalliburton is the world's second largest oilfield services corporation with operations in more than 70 countries. It has hundreds of subsidiaries, affiliates, branches, brands and divisions worldwide and employs over 50,000 people....
, went missing on April 9, 2004. He was never shown in a hostage video and is presumed dead. - Aban EliasAban EliasAban Abdel Malek Mahmoud Elias is an Iraqi American civil engineer who was born in Iraq, lived in Denver, Colorado, then returned to Iraq. He was kidnapped on May 3, 2004, near his home in Baghdad. He was shown being held hostage in a video on Al Arabiya television station. While, blindfolded and...
, an Iraqi-American engineer from Denver, was shown being held hostage in a video on May 3, 2004. He has not been seen or heard from since. - Radim Sadeq Mohammed Sadeq, also called "Dean Sadek", a businessman kidnapped on November 2, 2004, in Baghdad. He was shown in a video that month and in another video dated Christmas Eve but released in late January on NBC. He has not been seen or heard from since. His kidnappers demanded the release of Iraqi prisoners.
- Jeffrey Ake, a contractor, was kidnapped on April 11, 2005, and shown in a videotape two days later. He has not been seen or heard from since. His kidnappers contacted his wife on the day he was kidnapped and demanded $1 million dollars in exchange for his release. After three weeks of negotiations, the kidnappers cut off all communication.
Killed
- Ali Belaroussi, Algerian Chargé d'affairesChargé d'affairesIn diplomacy, chargé d’affaires , often shortened to simply chargé, is the title of two classes of diplomatic agents who head a diplomatic mission, either on a temporary basis or when no more senior diplomat has been accredited.-Chargés d’affaires:Chargés d’affaires , who were...
, and Azzedin Belkadi, Algerian diplomatic attache, were kidnapped on July 21, 2005 in Baghdad. The Algerian government, on July 27, 2005, said they had been killed.
Killed
- Bert Nussbaumer, a contractor, was kidnapped along with four Americans on November 16, 2006. They appeared in two hostage videos released in December 2006 and January 2007. Their kidnappers demanded $150,000, the withdrawal of America troops from Iraq and the release of all Iraqi prisoners in exchange for the hostages' release. One of Nussbaumer's fingers was sent to U.S. authorities in February 2008. Three of the Americans and Nussbaumer were found dead in March 2008. The other American was found dead in April 2008.
Released
- Abul Kashem, a truck driver, was kidnapped on October 28, 2004, as he ferried supplies to Kuwait. He was freed on December 10, 2004.
Killed
- João José Vasconcelos, an engineer, was kidnapped on January 19, 2005, in an ambush on the Baghdad Airport road. His body was found more than two years after his kidnapping. It is believed that he died from injuries sustained in the abduction shortly after arriving at the house where his captors planned to hold him.
Released/Escaped
- Fadi Ihsan FadelFadi Ihsan FadelFadi Ihsan Fadel is a Canadian humanitarian worker who was taken hostage in Iraq. He was taken hostage on April 7, 2004 and released April 16, 2004. He was working for New York-based International Rescue Committee, a non-government organization...
, a Syrian-Canadian employed by the International Rescue Committee, was taken hostage in NajafNajafNajaf is a city in Iraq about 160 km south of Baghdad. Its estimated population in 2008 is 560,000 people. It is the capital of Najaf Governorate...
on April 8, 2004 but released on April 16, 2004. - Naji al-KuwaitiNaji al-KuwaitiNaji al-Kuwaiti is a Canadian who was held hostage in Iraq from April 28 to May 4, 2004.-References:...
, was taken hostage on April 28, 2004, and released on May 4, 2004. - Scott Taylor, was a journalist abducted by Ansar al-IslamAnsar al-IslamAnsar al-Islam is a Sunni Islamist group of Iraqis, promoting a radical interpretation of Islam, close to the official Saudi ideology of Wahhabism with strict application of Sharia. The group was formed in the northern provinces of Iraq near the Iranian border, and previously had established...
in Tal AfarTal AfarTal Afar is a city and district in northwestern Iraq in the Ninawa Governorate located approximately 30 miles west of Mosul and 120 miles north west of Kirkuk.While no official census data exists, the city which had been...
on September 9, 2004. He was released five days later. - James Loney and Harmeet Singh SoodenHarmeet Singh SoodenHarmeet Singh Sooden is a Canadian and New Zealand citizen who volunteered for Christian Peacemaker Teams in Iraq. From November 26, 2005, he was held captive in Iraq with three others and threatened with execution until being freed by multinational forces in an operation on March 23, 2006.Sooden...
, aid workers with Christian Peacemaker TeamsChristian Peacemaker TeamsChristian Peacemaker Teams is an international organization set up to support teams of peace workers in conflict areas around the world. These teams believe that they can lower the levels of violence through nonviolent direct action, human rights documentation, and nonviolence training. CPT sums...
, were kidnapped in Baghdad on November 27, 2005, along with an American and Briton. They were freed in a coalition raid on March 23, 2006. See 2005-2006 Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis2005-2006 Christian Peacemaker hostage crisisThe Christian Peacemaker hostage crisis involved four human rights workers of Christian Peacemaker Teams who were held hostage in Iraq from November 26, 2005 by the Swords of Righteousness Brigade...
. - Fairuz YamulkyFairuz YamulkyFairuz Yamulky is an Iraqi-born Canadian, from Calgary, Alberta, who was working in Iraq for GSF Cement and Sand Company, when she was kidnapped and held captive for 16 days in northern Iraq....
was abducted on September 6, 2004. Her driver and another employee were not taken. Yamulky managed to escape with the help of one of her captors sixteen days later.
Unknown
- Rifat Mohammed RifatRifat Mohammed RifatRifat Mohammed Rifat was an Iraqi born Canadian citizen who was last seen in Iraq on April 8, 2004, and confirmed by the Canadian government to have been taken hostage there.-Life:...
, an Iraqi-born prison worker, he was taken hostage on April 8, 2004. He is still missing.
Released
- Seven workers - Xue Yougui, Lin Jinping, Li Guiwu, Li Guiping, Wei Weilong, Chen Xiaojin, and Lin Kongming - were abducted on April 11, 2004, but were released on April 13, 2004.
- Eight unemployed construction workers were kidnapped by al-Numan Brigades on January 18, 2005, as they tried to leave the country. They were released four days later. The group included three teenagers.
Released
- Garabet Jean Jekerjian, a man with dual Lebanese-Cypriot citizenship, was abducted in August 2005. He was released on December 31, 2005, in exchange for $200,000 ransom.
Killed
- Mohammed Mutawalli, a purported "Egypt spy", was beheaded in a video on August 10, 2004.
- Nasser Juma, a contractor's body was found on September 5, 2004.
- Ihab al-SherifIhab al-SherifIhab el-Sherif served as Egypt's ambassador to Iraq until Iraqi kidnappers murdered him in July 2005. He previously served as Egypt's chargé d'affaires to Israel.-Kidnapping and death:...
, Egyptian envoy to Baghdad, captured on July 3, 2005, and reported killed on July 7, 2005.
Released
- Victor Tawfiq Gerges, a truck driver, was kidnapped was Turk Bulent Yanik on June 1, 2004. He was released on June 18.
- Alsayeid Mohammed Alsayeid Algarabawi, a truck driver, was kidnapped on July 6. He was released on July 19.
- Mohammed Ali Sanad, a truck driver, was seized with three Indians and three Kenyans on July 22, 2004. He was released on September 1, 2004.
- Mohamed Mamdouh Qutb, a diplomat, was seized in Baghdad on July 23, 2004. He was freed on July 26, 2004.
- At least two workers for Orascom, a mobile phone company, were kidnapped on September 24, 2004, but freed on September 28, 2004.
- Four Egyptians working for Orascom were kidnapped on February 6, 2005. They were freed the next day by US forces.
- Nabil Tawfiq Sulieman and Matwali Mohammed Qassem, Egyptian engineers for the firm Unitrak, were abducted on a road west of Baghdad, a video on an Islamic website said on March 19, 2005. They were released a day later.
Unknown
- Samuel Edward, an engineer working for Iraqna Mobile Company, was kidnapped on September 26, 2005, in Baghdad. His Iraqi driver was left unharmed.
Released
- Christian ChesnotChristian ChesnotChristian Chesnot is a French journalist working for Radio France who, along with Georges Malbrunot and Muhammed al-Jundi , was taken hostage on August 20, 2004, by the Islamic Army in Iraq. This group gave the French government a 48-hour deadline to repeal its law on secularity and conspicuous...
and Georges MalbrunotGeorges MalbrunotGeorge Malbrunot is a French journalist working for Le Figaro who, along with Christian Chesnot and their Syrian driver Muhammed al-Jundi, was taken hostage on August 20, 2004, by the Islamic Army in Iraq. This group gave the French government a 48-hour deadline to repeal its law against girls...
, two reporters, were kidnapped along with their Syrian driver on August 21, 2004. The driver was rescued on November 12. The two journalists were released on December 21. France allegedly paid $15 million dollars in ransom for their release. - Florence AubenasFlorence AubenasFlorence Aubenas is a French journalist, who worked until 2006 for the French newspaper Libération. She was taken hostage on January 5, 2005, in Iraq along with her translator Hussein Hanoun Al-Saadi....
, a reporter for the daily LibérationLibérationLibération is a French daily newspaper founded in Paris by Jean-Paul Sartre and Serge July in 1973 in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968. Originally a leftist newspaper, it has undergone a number of shifts during the 1980s and 1990s...
. She disappeared January 5, 2005 but was released with her Iraqi translator, Hussein Hanoun al-SaadiHussein Hanoun al-SaadiHussein Hanoun al-Saadi is an Iraqi interpreter and former colonel in the Iraqi air force, which he left in 1991. He is also qualified as a pilot on the Mirage F1. He was taken hostage on January 5, 2005, in Iraq along with Florence Aubenas, and was freed on June 11, 2005. Born on July 14, 1960 he...
, on June 11. France allegedly paid $10 million dollars in ransom for their release. - Bernard Planche, a water engineer, was kidnapped in Mansour on December 5, 2005. He was freed on January 7, 2006, when his captors fled the house where they were holding him during a military operation.
Released
- Susanne OsthoffSusanne OsthoffSusanne Kristina Osthoff is a German archaeologist who had worked in Iraq since 1991 until being taken hostage there on November 25, 2005. She was freed by her captors on December 18, 2005.- Biography :...
, an archaeologist, was kidnapped along with her Iraqi driver on November 25, 2005, according to the German Foreign Ministry. They were released on December 18, 2005, after Germany allegedly paid the kidnappers $5 million dollars ransom. It is also speculated that Germany released Mohammed Ali HammadiMohammed Ali HammadiMohammed Ali Hammadi aka Mohammed Ali Hamadi and Mohammed Ali Hamadei, is a wanted terrorist. A Lebanese citizen and alleged member of Hezbollah , he was convicted in a West German court of law of air piracy, murder, and possession of explosives for his part in the June 14, 1985 hijacking of TWA...
in exchange for Osthoff's release. - Thomas Nitzschke and Rene Braeunlich, two engineers, were kidnapped by gunmen near BaijiBaijiBaiji may refer to:* The Baiji or Yangtze River Dolphin * Baiji, Iraq, a city of northern Iraq.* "Baiji" is the pinyin Romanization for Baekje....
on January 24, 2006. They appeared in four videos and their kidnappers demanded that Germany end its cooperation with the Iraqi regime, close its mission in Baghdad, ensure that all German businesses cease dealings there, and the release of all Iraqi prisoners held by US forces. On May 2, 2006, the German government announced the two had been freed. Germany allegedly paid $5 million dollars ransom for their release. - Hannelore Krause, worked for the Austrian embassy in Baghdad, was kidnapped on February 6, 2007, with her son Sinan in Baghdad. Their kidnappers demanded that Germany withdraw its troops from Afghanistan. She was shown in three videos during her captivity. Hannelore was released on July 11, 2007.
Unknown
- Sinan KrauseSinan KrauseSinan Krause is a German-Iraqi technician, who was kidnapped by Iraqi militants in Baghdad on February 6, 2007, along with his mother Hannelore Krause. His fate is unknown....
, a technician at the Iraqi Foreign Ministry, was kidnapped on February 6, 2007, with his mother Hannelore in Baghdad. Their kidnappers demanded that Germany withdraw its troops from Afghanistan. Hannelore was released on July 10, 2007, but Sinan Krause hasn't been seen or heard from since a video was released on September 11, 2007. The video was recorded before Hannelore was released. It showed Sinan saying goodbye to his mother. Their kidnappers issued a final 10 day deadline in the video for Germany to withdraw its troops from Afghanistan. They threatened to slit Sinan's throat if their demand was not met. On April 24, 2008, his father appealed to the captors to release his son. The kidnappers ignored the plea.
Released
- Antaryami, Sukhdev Singh, and Tilak Raj were truck drivers seized July 22, 2004, with an Egyptian and three Kenyans. They were released September 1, 2004.
Released
- Istiqomah binti Misnad and Casingkem binti Aspin, two female workers of an electricity firm were kidnapped along with six Iraqis and two Lebanese in late September 2004. They appeared in a video broadcast on Al-Jazzera on September 30, 2004. The Islamic Army demanded that Indonesia free Abu Bakar BashirAbu Bakar BashirAbu Bakar Bashir Abu Bakar Bashir Abu Bakar Bashir (also Abubakar Ba'asyir, Abdus Somad, and Ustad Abu ("Teacher Abu"), born 17 August 1938, is an Indonesian Muslim cleric and leader of the Indonesian Mujahedeen Council (MMI)....
in exchange for the release of the two women. Bashir refused to be released for the two Indonesian women and Indonesia also said it would not free him. The Islamic Army also demanded that the Lebanese government withdraw all nationals working in Iraq for the release of the two Lebanese men. The women were released on October 4, 2004. The six Iraqis were freed later that month after they "repented" working for the Americans and the two Lebanese were freed for ransom in November, 2004. - Meutya Hafid, a reporter, and Budiyanto, a cameraman, were kidnapped along with their Jordanian driver on February 15, 2005. They were freed on February 21, 2005.
Released
- Fereidoun Jahani, an Iranian diplomat, was kidnapped near KarbalaKarbalaKarbala is a city in Iraq, located about southwest of Baghdad. Karbala is the capital of Karbala Governorate, and has an estimated population of 572,300 people ....
on August 4, 2004. He was released on September 27, 2004. - Six Iranian pilgrims and their Iraqi guide were kidnapped on November 28, 2005. Their Iraqi driver was wounded but was not abducted. The Iraqi guide and two of the Iranian pilgrims (all women) were released a day later. The four male hostages were released on February 10, 2006.http://www.tehrantimes.com/Index_view.asp?code=111380
Killed
- Margaret HassanMargaret HassanMargaret Hassan was an Irish aid worker who had worked in Iraq for many years until she was abducted and murdered by unidentified kidnappers in Iraq in 2004, at the age of 59...
, the director of CARE International, was kidnapped in Baghdad on October 19, 2004. Her driver and unarmed security guard were not taken. She was killed in a video released on November 16, 2004.
Released
- Rory CarrollRory CarrollRory Carroll is an Irish journalist for The Guardian. Born in Dublin, Carroll is a graduate of Blackrock College, Trinity College and Dublin City University...
, a journalist for the British newspaper The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, was abducted on October 19, 2005, in Baghdad and released the next day.
Released
- Nabil Razouk, an Israeli Arab from East JerusalemEast JerusalemEast Jerusalem or Eastern Jerusalem refer to the parts of Jerusalem captured and annexed by Jordan in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War and then captured and annexed by Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War...
working for the US company Research Triangle International, was kidnapped April 8, 2004. He was freed on April 22, 2004, after pleas from his family and Palestinians.
Released
- Ibrahim al-Maharmeh, a businessman, was kidnapped in Baghdad on March 5, 2005. He was released on March 8, 2005, after a ransom was paid.
- Mahmoud Suleiman Saidat, a driver for the Jordanian embassy in Baghdad, was kidnapped on December 20, 2006 . He was later shown on a videotape calling for the release of failed suicide bomber Sajida Mubarak Atrous al-RishawiSajida Mubarak Atrous al-RishawiSajida Mubarak Atrous al-Rishawi is a would-be female suicide bomber, who took part in the 2005 Amman bombings in Jordan but survived when her explosive belt failed to detonate...
. He was released on February 21, 2007.
3 Released
- Faiz Khamis Salim, Jalal Mohamed Awadh, and Ibrahim Khamis Idd were kidnapped on July 22, 2004, with three Indians and an Egyptian. They were freed September 1, 2004.
Unknown
- Moses Munyao and George Noballa, engineers from the IraqnaIraqnaIraqna was an Iraqi Mobile telecommunication company offering services in the middle of Iraq. It was established after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003. It was a subsidiary of Orascom Telecom. In 2007, it was sold to Zain to form with its subsidiary in Iraq MTC Atheer a bigger company. The new...
telephone company, were reported kidnapped after an ambush on January 18, 2006. They were never found.
Released
- Mohammed Hamad, was kidnapped when he was seven years old on October 22, 2004, after being lured into a car by his captors while he was walking home from school. His captors told him his father was hurt in a car accident. They also told his father that they would behead his son unless they were paid $150,000. They eventually lowered their demand to $70,000 and then lowered it again to $1,725. The $1,725 ransom was paid and Mohammed was released on October 29, 2004.
- Marwan Ibrahim al-Qassar and Mohammed Jawdat Hussein were kidnapped by the Islamic Army in Iraq in late on in September 2004 along with six Iraqis and two Indonesian women. They appeared in a video broadcast on Al-Jazeera on September 30, 2004. The Islamic Army demanded that Indonesia free Abu Bakar BashirAbu Bakar BashirAbu Bakar Bashir Abu Bakar Bashir Abu Bakar Bashir (also Abubakar Ba'asyir, Abdus Somad, and Ustad Abu ("Teacher Abu"), born 17 August 1938, is an Indonesian Muslim cleric and leader of the Indonesian Mujahedeen Council (MMI)....
in exchange for the release of the two women. Bashir refused to be released for the two Indonesian women and Indonesia also said it would not free him. The Islamic Army also demanded that the Lebanese government withdraw all nationals working in Iraq for the release of the two Lebanese men. The Iraqis and the two Indonesian women were freed in October 2004. Marwan and Mohammed were freed in exchange for ransom in November 2004.
Killed
- Driver Abderrahim Boualam and assistant Abdelkrim El Mouhafidim, both workers at the Moroccan embassy in Baghdad, went missing on October 20, 2005 while driving back from JordanJordanJordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
. On October 25, 2005, militants claimed their kidnapping. On November 3, 2005, Al Qaeda in Iraq said in an internet statement that it had decided to kill the two hostages. Ziad Khalaf Raja al-KarboulyZiad Khalaf Raja al-KarboulyA high-ranking aide of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in the Iraq War, Ziad Khalaf Raja al-Karbouly was captured by Jordanian intelligence officers in May 2006 and gave information that may have resulted in al-Zarqawi's death in an air strike a month later.A native of Al-Qa'im, he confessed to having...
later confessed to having arranged the kidnappings. He stated that two Kurds were kidnapped with the Moroccans and were later released.
Killed
- Gyanendra Shrestha, Manoj Kumar Thakur, Rajendra Kumar Shrestha, Jit Bahadur Thapa, Budha Kumar Shas, Ramesh Khadka, Mangal Bahadur Limbu, Sanjaya Kumar Thakur, Lalan Sing Koirala, Chhok Bahadur Thapa, Prakash Adhikari, and Bishnu Hari Thapa, were twelve Nepalese taken hostage on August 23, 2004. A video from August 31, 2004, showed the beheading of one and the shooting in the head of the eleven others.
Released
- Inus Dewari was kidnapped November 1, 2004, in Baghdad. He was released on November 6, 2004.
Unknown
- Rami Daas, a 26 year-old Palestinian student, was reported kidnapped by his family on May 9, 2005, by gunmen in the northern city of MosulMosulMosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
. His fate is unknown.
Killed
- Azad Hussein Khan, an engineer and Sajjad Naeem, a driver, were kidnapped on July 23, 2004, and killed. Their captors demanded their Kuwaiti company leave Iraq. In a video released on July 29, 2004, their bodies were shown. An Iraqi driver who was held with them was released.
Released
- Amjad Hafeez, a driver, was kidnapped on June 25, 2004. He was freed on July 2, 2004.
- An embassy worker was abducted on April 25, 2005, but released two weeks later.
- Eleven construction workers were kidnapped from their bus near NasiriyahNasiriyahNasiriyah is a city in Iraq. It is on the Euphrates about 225 miles southeast of Baghdad, near the ruins of the ancient city of Ur. It is the capital of the province of Dhi Qar...
on August 13, 2005. They were released August 22, 2005.
Killed
- Fyodor Zaitsev, third secretary of the Russian Embassy in Iraq, and embassy employees Rinat Agliulin, Anatoly Smirnov and Oleg Fyodoseyev were abducted after an ambush in Baghdad on June 3, 2006. Another employee, Vitaly Titov, was shot and killed. A group claimed to have executed them on June 21, 2006, and a video released on June 25, 2006, confirmed their deaths. The kidnapper group gave 48 hours to the Putin administration to pull out his troops from Chechnya.
Released
- Three energy workers, working for the Interenergoservis, were kidnapped April 12, 2004, along with five Ukrainians and a man immediately released, all were released the next day with the insurgents apologizing, noting that they did not realise they were Russian and Ukrainian.
- Andrei MeshcheryakovAndrei MeshcheryakovAndrei Vladimirovich Meshcheryakov is a Russian professional football player. In 2009, he played in the Russian Second Division for FC Lokomotiv Liski.-External links:*...
and Aleksandr Gordiyenko, employees of Interenergoservis, were kidnapped on May 10, 2004, but released on May 17, 2004.
Released
- Ali Ahmed Mousa, a truck driver, was taken hostage on July 29, 2004, in order to convince his Kuwaiti employer to withdraw from Iraq. He was released several days later.
Unknown
- Andre Durant, Callie Scheepers, Hardus Greeff and Johann Enslin, four contractors, were abducted at a bogus roadblock in Baghdad by unidentified men on December 10, 2006, along with five Iraqis. The Iraqis were released two days later. The kidnappers demanded $8 million ransom. Ten days after the abduction, Andre spoke to his wife briefly in a "proof of life" phone call. There were some talks that these four were still alive in January 2007, but since then there has been no word on their fate.
Released
- Dinesh Dharmendran Rajaratnam, a truck driver, was kidnapped on October 28, 2004, while ferrying supplies to Kuwait. He was released on December 10, 2004.
Killed
- Six Sudanese truck drivers, were kidnapped by Ansar al-Sunnah sometime in April 2005. The six men were shot dead in a video posted on the Internet.
Released
- Noureddin Zakaria, a translator, was kidnapped on October 30, 2004, in RamadiRamadiRamadi is a city in central Iraq, about west of Baghdad. It is the capital of Al Anbar Governorate.-History:Ramadi is located in a fertile, irrigated, alluvial plain.The Ottoman Empire founded Ramadi in 1869...
. He was released on November 6, 2004. - Six Sudanese, including the second secretary at the Sudanese embassy, were abducted in Baghdad on December 23, 2005. They were released on December 31, 2005, after Sudan closed its embassy in Baghdad.
- Mohammed Haroun Hamad, a truck driver, was kidnapped along with his colleague Maher Ataya sometime in March 2005. The Islamic Army claimed responsibility in a statement and internet video for the abductions on March 9. The group claimed that a Sharia Council would decide their fates. On April 6, 2005, a second video announced that the Sharia Council decided to release Mohammed and Maher after they "repented" working for the Americans.
Released
- Ulf HjertstromUlf HjertstromUlf Hjertström is a Swedish hostage freed in Iraq.He said he contributed information which helped in the rescue of Douglas Wood.-External links:*****...
, an oil broker, was taken hostage on March 25, 2005. He was released on May 30, 2005.
Released
- Two Swiss nationals, a married couple who worked for a NGO, were kidnapped on April 20, 2004, by an unknown group. They were held hostage for 48 hours and released on April 22, 2004, after relatives of the kidnappers from the Obaida tribe promised to pressure YemenYemenThe Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
i authorities. Some reports listed the couple as tourists.
Released
- Mohammed al-Joundi, the driver for Christian ChesnotChristian ChesnotChristian Chesnot is a French journalist working for Radio France who, along with Georges Malbrunot and Muhammed al-Jundi , was taken hostage on August 20, 2004, by the Islamic Army in Iraq. This group gave the French government a 48-hour deadline to repeal its law on secularity and conspicuous...
and Georges MalbrunotGeorges MalbrunotGeorge Malbrunot is a French journalist working for Le Figaro who, along with Christian Chesnot and their Syrian driver Muhammed al-Jundi, was taken hostage on August 20, 2004, by the Islamic Army in Iraq. This group gave the French government a 48-hour deadline to repeal its law against girls...
, was kidnapped on August 21, 2004. He was freed by US troops in FallujahFallujahFallujah is a city in the Iraqi province of Al Anbar, located roughly west of Baghdad on the Euphrates. Fallujah dates from Babylonian times and was host to important Jewish academies for many centuries....
on November 12, 2004.
Killed
- Durmus Kumdereli, a truck driver, was kidnapped on August 14, 2004. He was having dinner with six other truck driver friends in a restaurant a few miles away from Mosul. Kidnapped in that restaurant with his friend Mustafa Köksal by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's men. He was decapitated few days later afterwards by Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad.
- Dursun Ali Yildirim Tek, a truck driver, was kidnapped on July 23, 2006. Two videos were broadcast on the internet in which his captors demanded the Turkish government end all cooperation with Iraq and that they shut down the company Tek worked for. In the second video, a 72 hour deadline was issued in which Turkey had to give in to the captors' demands or Tek would be executed. He was killed in October after the deadline passed and his body was found near Baghdad's Airport. His body was identified a month and a half later.
- Murat YuceMurat YuceMurat Yuce was a Turkish engineer who worked for the Turkish company "Bilintur" on a U.S. army base in Iraq.He was kidnapped in Iraq in early August 2004 along with his colleague Aytullah Gezmen, during the U.S. occupation of Iraq. A video of Yuce's execution by shooting at the hand of Iraqi...
, a truck driver, was kidnapped in Iraq along with his colleague Aytullah Gezmen in late July 2004. A video showing Abu Ayyub al-MasriAbu Ayyub al-MasriAbu Ayyub al-Masri , also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajir and other aliases , was an active combattant of al-Qaeda and at least a senior aide to former leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. When Zarqawi was killed in a U.S. airstrike on 7 June 2006, U.S...
shooting Yuce in the head was posted on a web site on August 2, 2004. Aytullah was released a month later after he "repented" working for the Americans. - Maher Kemal, a contractor, was reported beheaded on October 11, 2004.
Released
- Bulent Yanik, a truck driver, was kidnapped on June 1, 2004 and released on June 18.
- Abdulkadir Tanrikulu, a businessman, abducted by gunmen from the Bakhan Hotel in Baghdad on January 13, 2005. He was freed on June 29, 2005.
- Ali Musluoglu, a businessman, Kidnapped in Baghdad on May 19, 2005. He was released on September 20, 2005, in exchange for a $250,000 ransom.
- Aytullah Gezmen, a truck driver, was kidnapped in Iraq on July 31, 2004, along with his colleague Murat YuceMurat YuceMurat Yuce was a Turkish engineer who worked for the Turkish company "Bilintur" on a U.S. army base in Iraq.He was kidnapped in Iraq in early August 2004 along with his colleague Aytullah Gezmen, during the U.S. occupation of Iraq. A video of Yuce's execution by shooting at the hand of Iraqi...
. Murat was executed on August 16, 2004. Aytullah was released a month later after he "repented" working for the Americans. - Hasan Eskimutlu, a technician, was kidnapped on June 14, 2006, along with his translator. His captors sent a video to Aljazeera in which they demanded the Turkish government withdraw its ambassador from Baghdad and that they put pressure on the Iraqi government to free male and female prisoners from U.S and Iraqi prisons. They were freed on August 2, 2006.
Released
- Naji Rashid al-Nuaimi, the first secretary of the UAE's embassy in Baghdad, was abducted by gunmen on May 16, 2006. His captors demanded that the UAE abandon its presence in Iraq. Nuaimi was freed on May 30, 2006. His Sudanese driver was wounded and later died of his injuries.
See also
- Foreign hostages in AfghanistanForeign hostages in AfghanistanTable of contentsKey: Kidnapping and hostage taking has become a common occurrence in Afghanistan following the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001...
- Foreign hostages in NigeriaForeign hostages in NigeriaSince 2006, militant groups in Nigeria's Niger Delta, especially the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta , have resorted to taking foreign employees of oil companies hostage as part of the conflict in the Niger Delta. More than 200 foreigners have been kidnapped since 2006, though most...
- Foreign hostages in SomaliaForeign hostages in SomaliaKidnapping and hostage taking has become a common occurrence in Somalia since 2008, while the country is still facing civil war Kidnapping and hostage taking has become a common occurrence in Somalia since 2008, while the country is still facing civil war Kidnapping and hostage taking has become a...
External links
- Usher, Sebastian. "Arabs ambivalent over hostage crisis." BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
. Thursday 23 September 2011.