PM vows justice for Iraq hostage families

Published on Thursday 3 September 2009 21:48

A BODY handed to the British authorities in Iraq is that of Alec MacLachlan, Gordon Brown confirmed last night.

The Prime Minister announced with "deepest regret" that Mr MacLachlan's remains had been identified.

He vowed to bring the terrorists responsible for the murder to justice and said the thoughts of the whole country were with Mr MacLachlan's family.

Mr Brown said: "It's with the deepest regret that the body passed to the British Embassy is now discovered to be that of Alec MacLachlan. My thoughts, and I believe the thoughts of the whole country, are with the family at this time of great grief.

"No family should have to endure what they have gone through."

Mr Brown continued: "Our thoughts are also with the families of those people who are the other hostages. We are demanding of the hostage-takers that they now give us information about the whereabouts of Alan McMenemy and return Peter Moore, who we still believe to be alive, as soon as possible.

"We will pursue these hostage-takers; there is no justification for what they have done.

"We are working with the Iraqi government at every point to ensure that we get information to the relatives, we get the return of the others and at the same time we bring the hostage-takers to justice."

A spokesman for GardaWorld, which employed Mr MacLachlan, expressed "sympathy and deep concern" at the news.

He said: "This development is deeply upsetting for the family and friends of Alec and for GardaWorld. Our thoughts are with them at this tremendously sad and difficult time. We are continuing to do everything we can to provide them with the support they need."

Six weeks ago, the Foreign Office told the families of Mr MacLachlan, from Llanelli, south Wales, and Mr McMenemy, from Glasgow, that their loved ones were "very likely" to have died.

The two were captured in 2007 along with fellow security guards Jason Swindlehurst and Jason Creswell, whose bodies were found earlier this year, and the man they were guarding, IT consultant Peter Moore.

The five Britons were seized by about 40 armed men wearing police uniforms at the finance ministry in Baghdad on 29 May, 2007.

The bodies of Mr Swindlehurst, from Skelmersdale, Lancashire, and Mr Creswell, originally from Glasgow, were handed over to Baghdad officials in June.

The kidnappers, calling themselves the Islamic Shiite Resistance in Iraq, have issued several videos featuring the captives and making demands.

In February last year, a video broadcast by Dubai-based TV station al-Arabiya showed a bearded and tired-looking Mr Moore asking Mr Brown to free nine Iraqis in exchange for the British hostages.