Rift over Saddam scientists' fate
 

The US has denied Iraqi reports that two female scientists held in Iraq are to be freed.
Militants are threatening to kill a third hostage unless all Iraqi women in US-run prisons are released.

The US dismissed statements from Iraqi officials that one of the scientists, who have been held as members of Saddam Hussein's regime, would soon be freed.

British hostage Kenneth Bigley is believed to be still alive, after two US contractors were beheaded.

The US says it is only holding two women prisoners - Rihab Rashid Taha and Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash - and that it has no knowledge of any plan to release them.

The US embassy in Baghdad, meanwhile, said it received the decapitated body of American hostage Jack Hensley from Iraqi authorities on Wednesday - his 49th birthday - and was arranging for it to be flown home to his family.

The first hostage, Eugene Armstrong, 52, was killed on Monday.

'Not a threat'

Iraqi Minister of State Kassim Daoud told journalists in Baghdad that the Iraqi judiciary had decided that there was not enough evidence to justify the women scientists' continued detention.

He said medical and security checks were taking place prior to their conditional release.

But, he said, "It will not happen today, tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."

Iraq's Justice Minister Malik al-Hassan told the BBC that he supported the release of Dr Taha, a biological weapons scientist nicknamed Dr Germ, as part of a general review of which prisoners should remain in custody.

"This subject has been under discussion for a month. We set up committees and they have been meeting for more than 21 days. All this has nothing to do with the kidnapping," he said.

Dr Taha is said to have carried out top-secret work during the 1980s on germs that cause botulism poisoning and anthrax infections.

The second woman, Dr Ammash, "may be released soon", the justice ministry said.

She is a biotech researcher known as Mrs Anthrax and Chemical Sally, who was on the US military's list of the 55 most-wanted members of Saddam Hussein's regime.

The UK government told the BBC there was no request by anyone at any level in the government for the women to be freed.

"That would be tantamount to dealing with terrorists," a Downing Street spokesman said.

British family's hope

Kenneth Bigley's family have welcomed the Iraqi suggestion of a proposed prisoner release.

Mr Bigley's brother Paul told BBC radio: "Hopefully they [the kidnappers] will pick this up on the media, and show that they have a gram of decency in them by releasing Ken."

The three hostages were kidnapped on Thursday by militants claiming to be from the Tawhid and Jihad group, headed by al-Qaeda suspect Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Gruesome video footage was released on Monday showing Mr Armstrong being killed by a masked man - said by the CIA to be Zarqawi. Mr Armstrong's body was later recovered.

"The British prisoner will get the same fate if the British government doesn't do what it has to," said a statement on an Islamist website.

A Canadian woman kidnapped in Iraq has reportedly been released after 16 days in captivity.

Canadian Foreign Minister Pierre Pettigrew told Canadian television that Fairuz Yamucky was freed by US troops on Tuesday night, the AFP news agency reported.

More than 100 foreigners have been abducted in Iraq over the past 17 months, as part of efforts to destabilise the US-backed interim government and to drive out foreign troops.

They include two French journalists who were abducted last month and two female Italian aid workers who were seized with two Iraqi colleagues on 7 September.

Tawhid and Jihad is considered to be the most ruthless of the hostage-takers.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/mid...st/3680120.stm