'Peacemaker' hostage found dead

'Peacemaker' hostage found dead
Tom Fox, one of the four peace activists kidnapped in Iraq, was found dead in Baghdad on Thursday. The news has heightened concern for the remaining captives.

Four peace campaigners of the Canada-based Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT) were kidnapped by a group called 'Swords of Righteousness Brigade' in Iraq last November. The kidnappers had threatened to kill the hostages unless all the Iraqi prisoners were freed by the US.

54 year-old Fox was the only American among those abducted. The rest of the hostages include two Canadian citizens James Loney, 41 and Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32 and a 74 year-old Briton, Norman Kember.

Fox, who had gone to Iraq on a peace mission, was prepared for any eventuality. His comments on his Web log, which he posted right after he reached Iraq in 2004, are reflective of his profound commitment to his cause. “I am to stand firm against the kidnapper as I am to stand firm against the soldier. Does that mean I walk into a raging battle to confront the soldiers? Does that mean I walk the streets of Baghdad with a sign saying 'American for the Taking'? No to both counts. But if Jesus and Gandhi are right, then I am asked to risk my life and if I lose it to be as forgiving as they were when murdered by the forces of Satan,” wrote Fox.

Before his abduction, Fox had worked for a number of humanitarian causes in Iraq. “This guy was not after martyrdom by any means. He actually believed in his heart that he would better them by his conviction and his beliefs and his skills, and I think largely succeeded.” said Paul Slattery, a member of a support group for Fox.

Fox was not seen in a video clip released by the kidnappers and relayed on Al-Jazeera TV on Tuesday in which the remaining three hostages appeared.