His tone is flat but the words are poignant. The hostage staring into the
camera makes what appears to be a well-rehearsed opening statement, thanking
his captors for treating him well, but when he refers to his family he
falters for a moment.
“Despite my good treatment over the last year, physically I’m not doing well,”
he says in a soft Scottish accent, shaking his head slightly.
“Psychologically I’m doing a lot worse.
“The thought of not seeing my family again . . . just isn’t doing well with me
at all.”
The hostage is Alan, the husband of Roseleen and father of two children aged
14 and three, who went to Iraq to make good money for his family in the
security sector, only to become a victim of the capital’s lawlessness last
year.
Nearly 14 months after he was abducted with three colleagues and an IT
consultant they were guarding in the finance ministry in Baghdad, Alan is a
pallid prisoner with little prospect of imminent release.
“This is a message to the British government to ask why after one year I’ve
received no attention – I’ve received nothing,” he says. “I would like for
the British government to please hurry. I’m appealing to you to please hurry
and try and get this resolved as soon as possible.”
Alan’s reference to having been held for one year suggests that the film was
recorded shortly before or after May 29, the anniversary of the abduction.
He makes no reference to the fate of his fellow captive, Jason, who is said
by the hostage-takers to have died four days earlier.
Dressed in a black T-shirt and seated on a blue plastic chair against a bare
wall, he pauses between sentences and glances down as if referring to notes
before calling for the release of all Iraqi prisoners, “especially females
and religious prisoners”, within one month.
However, an intermediary who passed the video to The Sunday Times in Baghdad
last week said the true purpose of Alan’s participation was to add credence
to the statement in Arabic text with which the film begins.
This statement says the captors wrote to the British government warning that
the five men’s physical health and psychological state had deteriorated to
such an extent that it had resulted in “more than one attempt at suicide”.
“We stopped them from carrying this out through our attempts at calming their
fears and assuring them that they would be freed soon, given that our
demands are simple and in the hands of your government,” it continues.
The kidnappers’ main demand, reiterated in the statement, is for the release
of nine prisoners who, it says, were arrested by British forces in the
southern port city of Basra.
The men are understood to include Qais al-Khazaali, a former chief spokesman
for the Shi’ite Mahdi Army. Khazaali, who led a faction trained in Iran, is
now detained by the Americans in connection with a raid on a base in which
five US soldiers were killed.
“If they return to their families, you will return to your families and
country,” the videotaped statement says.
It goes on to accuse the British government of procrastinating and concludes
by claiming that the prolonged psychological deterioration of Jason
culminated in his suicide on May 25.
“Even though we had hoped the situation would not reach such extremes, we
regret that it has, as a result of which we hold the British government
responsible for what has happened and what may happen to the other four
remaining hostages,” the statement says.
It is signed, “The Shi’ite Islamic Resistance in Iraq”.
No evidence has been provided to support the claim of suicide. During another
kidnapping last year, it was alleged that Alan Johnston, the BBC
correspondent in Gaza, had been killed. That claim seemed intended to
heighten emotion around the case and to put pressure on the authorities. It
was swiftly discounted and Johnston was safely released.
The intermediary who handed over the video insisted that Jason was dead and
said his fellow hostages had been further demoralised by his suicide.
However, the captors would not release proof of death or details of how he
had taken his own life until negotiations with the British government
resumed, he said.
The intermediary read from scribbled notes as he made a series of points
during a clandestine meeting in the Iraqi capital.
He said no significant negotiations had taken place for months and called for
the hostage-takers to be allowed to appoint Iraqi politicians or officials
to mediate on their behalf. They are believed to have been unhappy with the
efforts of two mediators appointed by Nouri al-Maliki, the prime minister.
According to the intermediary, the kidnappers believe the British government
will try to involve other states to help secure the hostages’ release. This
would serve no purpose, they claim. They say no outside intervention will
win the hostages’ freedom unless the nine Iraqi prisoners are freed first.
The hostages were seized in one of the most audacious operations to have been
mounted against westerners since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Peter Moore, the IT consultant, who comes from Lincolnshire, had been employed
by an American company, Bearing-Point, on a project in the finance ministry.
His guards worked for the Canadian security company, GardaWorld.
Soon after they entered the ministry, a group of up to 40 armed men in police
uniforms burst in, their leader shouting: “Where are the foreigners?”
In the confusion, another western business consultant escaped but the British
men were taken and driven away under guard.
They were reported to have been seen heading in the direction of Sadr city, a
sprawling Shi’ite slum of Baghdad which was then a stronghold of the
Iranian-backed Mahdi Army under Moqtada al-Sadr, the radical Shi’ite cleric.
Conflicting information has since emerged suggesting that the hostages were
being held in Sadr city, Diyala province between Baghdad and the Iranian
border or in Iran itself. Iraqi sources in Baghdad now insist that they are
in Iraq, not Iran, but little is known for certain.
A British source said yesterday: “This is possibly the most complicated and
challenging case we have had to deal with in recent years.”
British officials reject criticism from some relatives and friends that they
have allowed the men to become “forgotten hostages” by discouraging
publicity. A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are confident that we have
done everything we should have done.”
David Miliband, the foreign secretary, responded to the release of the video
with a statement last night condemning hostage-taking as a “disgusting
crime” which is never justified.
“Our officials in Iraq continue to be ready to work with anyone prepared to
help in this case,” he said.
However harrowing the video may have been to watch, it has provided Alan’s
family with its first glimpse of him in more than a year. Alan’s father, who
asked to be named only as Dennis, said it was comforting to see him looking
reasonably healthy.
His wife Roseleen said she could not imagine what he had gone through during
the past 14 months. “But quite clearly from the video, he is still coping
well and doing everything he can to be strong for his family,” she said.
Unlike some of the hostages’ relatives, Roseleen says she has no doubt that
everything possible is being done to secure their release. “I want the
hostage-takers to find a peaceful way to resolve their grievances and to
release our loved ones,” she added.
Alan’s message
This is a message to the British government to ask why after one year I’ve
received no attention – I’ve received nothing.
Over the past year the treatment from my captors has been very good, to say
the least. I’d like to thank my captors and the Iraqi resistance for
that treatment. I’d like for the release of all Iraqi prisoners, especially
females and religious prisoners, and I’d like that to be done within one
month.
Despite my good treatment, physically I’m not doing well . . . psychologically
I’m doing a lot worse. The thought of not seeing my family again just isn’t
doing well with me at all. I’d like for the British government to please
hurry . . . I’m appealing to you to please hurry and try and get this
resolved as soon as possible.
Captors’ note
We told them that we have nine innocent prisoners who were arrested by the
British in Basra whose release we are demanding. If they return to their
families you will return to your families and country.
But this procrastination and foot-dragging and lack of seriousness on the part
of the British government has prolonged their psychological deterioration,
pushing one of them, Jason, to commit suicide on 25/5/2008. He surprised our
brethren, who were taking care of him, with his suicide.
“Even though we had hoped the situation would not reach such extremes, we
regret that it has, as a result of which we hold the British government
responsible for what has happened and what may happen to the four remaining
hostages.”
