Video shows Bigley's last appeal before decapitation

1.00pm - By KIM SENGUPTA in Baghdad and JAMES BURLEIGH


Kenneth Bigley made a last, desperate appeal to Tony Blair to save his life before he was beheaded, a videotape of the closing moments of his life has revealed.

As prayers were said at churches around Britain in Mr Bigley's memory, a videotape was posted on the internet showing the British captive's final appeal to the British government to meet his captors' demands before he was beheaded.

The grainy tape showed Mr Bigley in his orange jumpsuit, saying he just wanted "to live a simple life".

Minutes later one of his captors declared "there is nothing further for this malicious Briton than the sword", and carried out the decapitation.

It was not clear last night whether the knife-wielding killer was the Jordanian born militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, whose Tawhid and Jihad group was holding Mr Bigley, and who had personally carried out murders of other hostages.

The video, three minutes and 42 seconds long, appeared on an Islamic website two days after Mr Bigley's family said they had been given proof of his death.

Last night there were unconfirmed reports that his body had been found in Latifiaya, south-west of Baghdad, where he is believed to have been murdered, and arrangements were being made to have it collected.

The 62-year-old civil engineer from Liverpool is said to have briefly escaped from his abductors, with the help of one of 10 men guarding him, before being recaptured and dragged back to his decapitation.

The video was titled "The slaughter of the British hostage who was not helped by Blair or his people despite being given enough time."

Mr Bigley is seen sitting in front of seven armed and hooded man with the black banner of Tawhid and Jihad group on a wall. In a quiet, tired voice, he said: "Here I am again Mr Blair, very, very close to the end of my life. You don't appear to have done anything to help me. I am not a difficult person. I am simple man who just wants to live a simple life with his family.

"These people, their patience in wearing very, very thin and they are very serious people. Please, please give them what they require, the freedom of the women in Abu Ghraib prison. If you do this, the problem is solved."

Faltering slightly, he continued: "To the British people, more than ever I need your help, more than ever I need your voices to go out in the streets and demand a better life for the women who are in prison in Abu Ghraib. I can't say a great deal more. I've said so many things to you at so many different times. All I can tell you now is that I have a very short time left."

One of the hooded men then read out a statement: "The heads of the infidel Western governments pretend to care about their citizens, but they are liars and hypocrites.

"We extended the deadline to kill the British hostage to see if our sisters in Abu Ghraib prison would be freed, but the tyrannical British government lied and claimed there was no way to contact Tawhid and Jihad Group when in fact there was a clear source of contact."

Washington says it holds only two women in Iraq, both top weapons scientists from the days of Saddam Hussein. The British say they are not holding any women.

The video ended with the speaker drawing out a knife and the decapitation of Mr Bigley as he is held down on the floor. The severed head was held aloft and then placed on the body.

There was no confirmation in Iraq yesterday of a weekend report that Mr Bigley's brief escape was engineered by MI6 which had successfully bribed two of his guards.

It was claimed that British intelligence had managed to place two agents in al-Zarqawi's group, a Syrian and an Iraqi, who had passed on the money to the guards who were executed after Mr Bigley was recaptured.

But senior security and diplomatic sources in Baghdad pointed out that to accept that scenario meant that MI6 had successfully managed to infiltrate the most secretive and ruthless militant organisation in the Iraq in less than three weeks after the kidnapping of Mr Bigley.

The same sources pointed out that the US military had placed a bounty of US$25 million on al-Zarqawi and had repeatedly attempted to kill or capture the Jordanian-born militant without success because he had proved so elusive.

If British intelligence actually knew his location and that of his gang, why, asked the sources, had there not been an attack there on al-Zarqawi or any attempt to rescue Mr Bigley?

It was also pointed out that the militant group had failed to show the killings of the "traitors" on videotape as would be expected.

Yesterday Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshiyar Zebari said it was "likely" that Mr Bigley had tried to escape but he had no confirmation. Foreign Office officials in London refused to discuss the reports.

- INDEPENDENT

Herald Feature: Iraq