British hostage Ken Bigley escaped for half an hour before he was beheaded, it has been reported.
His captors said the 62-year-old was helped by one of the hostage-takers.
The Foreign Office refused to confirm or comment on the claims.
Insurgent sources told the Reuters news agency that the engineer fled onto farmland in Latifiya but was caught.
"He never made it to the main street," the source said.
The fate of his accomplice is not known.
A Western security source is reported to have said Mr Bigley was killed because he had tried to escape.
Other reports suggested he had been beheaded because his captors feared they were about to be uncovered by American troops.
US troops had been mounting a major sweep through the Baghdad suburb where Mr Bigley was being held.
Meanwhile, Liverpool is holding an official day of mourning.
Lord Mayor, Frank Roderick, led a two minutes' silence at St George's Hall at midday.
Flags will be flown at half-mast at the town hall and municipal buildings in the city centre.
There will be a minutes' silence before the start of the England v Wales game in Manchester.
http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0...228464,00.html
some of them insurgents don't mean to kill and just get caught up in things getting out of hand is what I get out of that article