An Iraqi militant group said today it has kidnapped a US security consultant and would kill him in 48 hours unless Washington frees all Iraqi prisoners, according to a video aired by Al-Jazeera television.
The grainy video showed a blond, Western-looking man sitting down with his hands tied behind his back. The video carried the logo of the Islamic Army in Iraq. It also showed an American passport and an Arabic identity card bearing the name Ronald Schulz.
The television station said the militants also demanded the US government pay compensation to Iraqis affected by military offensives against militants in the Sunni Muslim-dominated Anbar province, which includes Ramadi and Falluja.
Al-Jazeera said it could not verify the authenticity of the tape. The abduction of the man, who reportedly worked as a security consultant for the Iraqi housing ministry, was the latest in a spate of kidnappings of Westerners that coincides with Saddam Hussein's trial and the run-up to parliamentary elections.
The Islamic Army in Iraq is one of several insurgent groups battling foreign and Iraqi security forces. Last year, a group with the same name killed Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni after Rome refused its demand to pull troops out of Iraq.
Yesterday, masked gunmen grabbed a French engineer off the streets of Baghdad. Bernard Planche joined two Canadians, an American, Briton Norman Kember and a German taken hostage in the last ten days.
In London, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw encouraged the kidnappers of the Briton to make contact, saying "we stand ready to hear what they have to say."
There is no evidence the kidnappings were co-ordinated, and those responsible for abducting the German aid worker and four Christian peace activists claim to represent different groups.
- Agencies