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Hostage Bigley murdered in Iraq...
Leggy Hendrix:
British hostage Kenneth Bigley has been murdered by his captors in Iraq, his family has confirmed.
A video released by militants showed Mr Bigley making a statement before being killed, according to witnesses.
"We can confirm that the family has now received absolute proof that Ken Bigley was executed by his captors," his brother Philip said.
Mr Bigley, 62, of Liverpool, was taken hostage on 16 September by the Tawhid and Jihad group.
It beheaded two Americans captured at the same time.
Philip Bigley said the family had experienced "three long weeks of waiting and three long weeks of agony".
He said Mr Bigley's Liverpool-based family believed the government did everything possible to secure his release "in this impossible situation".
"It could be that the fate of Ken was sealed from day one," he said.
There were also reports from the militant stronghold of Fallujah that Mr Bigley had been beheaded on Thursday afternoon in Latifiya, near Baghdad.
A video released by the kidnappers showed six hooded, armed men standing behind Mr Bigley, who was on his knees, according to a witness who watched the video for the Reuters news agency.
One of the six spoke in Arabic for a minute.
He said the group would carry out "the sentence of execution against this hostage" because the British government "did not meet our demand" to release Iraqi women detained by the US-led command in Iraq.
He then took a knife from his belt and severed Mr Bigley's head as three other militants held him down.
The killer then held up the severed head.
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said: "Now that this terrible news has been confirmed I want to offer the family and friends of Kenneth Bigley my deepest condolences.
"This is a barbaric murder following three weeks of terrible suffering for his family."
At a later press conference Mr Straw said the government had exchanged messages with the captors but they refused to abandon their demands.
He is due to visit the Bigley family on Friday night.
Conservative leader Michael Howard condemned the kidnappers' "grotesque barbarity" and said his heart went out to the family in their moment of terrible loss.
"To those who committed this atrocious and despicable act our message is: we shall never give in to blackmail from terrorists," he said.
Mr Bigley's relatives gathered at their family home in Liverpool as news of his death broke.
His son Craig, mother Lil and brothers Philip and Paul had campaigned for his release.
Paul Bigley had been due to take part in a Stop the War Coalition rally at Liverpool University on Friday evening, via a video link from his Amsterdam home.
Spokeswoman Carmel Byrne said a message from him would be read out instead.
She said it read: "Please, please stop this war and prevent other lives being lost. It is illegal and has to stop. Mr Blair has blood on his hands."
Mr Bigley was last seen alive in a video broadcast last week, pleading for Prime Minister Tony Blair to help him.
Mr Bigley's Thai-born wife Sombat, had made several emotional appeals for mercy.
The engineer was captured just weeks before his official retirement when he would have joined her in Thailand.
Mr Bigley's Irish-born mother Lil, 86, has been treated in hospital several times.
www.bbc.co.uk
mauzip:
peaceful people, those muslims
Thirteen:
NOT only is it a brutal murder
NOT only is it a brutal murder of a 62 year old man
but it's the brutal murder of a 62 year old man weeks before his retirement
it doesn't get much shittier than that
R.I.P.
mauzip:
*waits for King Tech Quadafi to justify this cruel murder*
eS El Duque:
--- Quote from: Viva Le Mauzip!! on October 08, 2004, 12:37:37 PM ---*waits for King Tech Quadafi to justify this cruel murder*
--- End quote ---
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