The British Embassy in Baghdad said Sunday it had received a new video showing one of five British hostages seized by gunmen from Iraq's Finance Ministry nearly two years ago. The kidnappers have demanded that the U.S. military release the founder of a Shiite militia group blamed for the abductions, while the British have asked that he remain in custody as long as the hostages are not freed, according to one official familiar with the case.
The five Britons - a management consultant named Peter Moore and four of his security guards - were seized by heavily armed men in police uniforms in May 2007 from the Finance Ministry. They were driven away toward Baghdad's Shiite enclave of Sadr City.
According to the AP, the British Embassy confirmed it had received a tape of one of the British hostages. "This is clearly a significant development and we'll continue to work for the safe release of all the hostages," embassy spokesman Sean McColm said.
The BBC reported that the hostage in the video is Peter Moore and that he says the five are being treated well. Moore appeared in another video shown in February. The four other captives were security workers for the Montreal-based firm GardaWorld.
The new video was filmed eight days ago, according to its date stamp, the official said, adding that only one unidentified hostage was shown but the British believe all five are fine.
