U.S. Hostage Tom Fox Killed in Iraq

[Ouchyfish]

U.S. Hostage Tom Fox Killed in Iraq By JUAN-CARLOS RODRIGUEZ, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - An American who was among four Christian activists kidnapped last year in Iraq has been killed, a State Department spokesman said Friday.

The FBI verified that a body found in Iraq Friday morning was that of Tom Fox, 54, of Clear Brook, Va., spokesman Noel Clay said. He said he had no information on the other three hostages.

Clay said he did not know how Fox was killed but said additional forensics will be done in the United States. The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad is investigating, he said.

Fox's family has been notified, Clay said, and "our heartfelt condolences go out to them."

"The State Department continues to call for the unconditional release of all other hostages" in Iraq, the spokesman said.

Fox's organization, Christian Peacemaker Teams, said Friday, "We mourn the loss of Tom Fox, who combined a lightness of spirit, a firm opposition to all oppression, and the recognition of God in everyone."

Christian Peacemaker co-directors Doug Pritchard and Carol Rose said in a statement, "In response to Tom's passing, we ask that everyone set aside inclinations to vilify or demonize others, no matter what they have done."

"This guy was not after martyrdom by any means," said Paul Slattery, a member of the McLean, Va.-based Langley Hill Friends Meeting that Fox, a Quaker, also attended. "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.

"What he leaves behind is a tremendous challenge for the rest of us and a guiding force."

Fox was the one American among four Christian Peacemaker activists kidnapped last year in Iraq.

On Tuesday, Al-Jazeera television aired footage of the three other activists purportedly appealing to their governments to secure their release.

The hostages seen in the brief video dated Feb. 28 were Canadians James Loney, 41, and Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32; and Briton Norman Kember, 74.

Allan Slater, a Canadian member of Christian Peacemaker Teams, said at the time that he was disturbed not to see Fox.

"We certainly are hopeful when we see three of our friends alive, but also it's very distressing that we didn't see Tom Fox, and I wouldn't want to hide that because I'm sure it's very distressful for Tom's family and friends as well," Slater told The Canadian Press from Baghdad.

The previously unknown Swords of Righteousness Brigades claimed responsibility for kidnapping the four workers, who disappeared Nov. 26.

The four had not been heard from since a videotape aired by Al-Jazeera on Jan. 28, dated from a week before. A statement reportedly accompanying that tape said the hostages would be killed unless all Iraqi prisoners were released from U.S. and Iraqi prisons. No deadline was set.

Iraqi and Western security officials repeatedly warned the activists before their abduction that they were taking a grave risk by moving around Baghdad without bodyguards.

Christian Peacemaker Teams had been working in Iraq since October 2002, investigating allegations that U.S. and Iraqi forces abused Iraqi detainees. Its teams host human rights conferences in conflict zones, promoting peaceful solutions.

Slattery said Fox worked on three major projects: helping families of incarcerated Iraqis, escorting shipments of medicine to clinics and hospitals in Fallujah and helping form Islamic Peacemaker Teams.

In the three years since the U.S.-led coalition invaded Iraq, insurgents have kidnapped at least 250 foreigners and killed at least 40 of them.

In one of the most high-profile cases, Jill Carroll, a freelance writer for The Christian Science Monitor, was kidnapped Jan. 7 in Baghdad. Three videotapes of Carroll delivered by her kidnappers to Arab satellite television stations identified the group holding her as the Revenge Brigades.

Carroll's kidnappers have publicly demanded the release of all female detainees in Iraq. The Monitor launched a campaign on Iraqi television stations Wednesday asking Iraqis, in Arabic, to "Please help with the release of journalist Jill Carroll." The list of those kidnapped and killed in Iraq includes Margaret Hassan, the director of CARE international in Iraq and a citizen of Britain, Ireland and Iraq; Ronald Schulz, an industrial electrician from Anchorage, Alaska; Nicholas Berg, a businessman from West Chester, Pa.; Jack Hensley, a civil engineer from Marietta, Ga.; and Eugene "Jack" Armstrong, formerly of Hillsdale, Mich.

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Still don't wanna use my LoJack idea?

[Lionking]

So you're saying that an AP fucktard writer named Juan-Carlos Rodriguez killed Tom Fox?

Ok, just kidding. Sad to hear. Apparently Sorina forgot to pray for this guy.

-Out

[Martrae]

Sorina's church didn't tell him to.

[Ouchyfish]

[Phlegm]

What are Christians activists doing in a Muslim country?

[Captain Insano]

getting killed apparently for being stupid lol

[mojo]

Sorina forgot to pray for this guy.

wtf

[Phlegm]

From CNN:

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- American hostage Tom Fox -- who was kidnapped with three other Christian peace activists in November -- has been found shot in the head with his body showing signs of torture, Iraqi emergency police told CNN Saturday.

There was no word on the whereabouts of Fox's fellow hostages -- Canadians James Loney, 41, and Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32, and 74-year-old Briton Norman Kember -- who were last seen in a video broadcast Tuesday on Arab television.

Fox's body was found wrapped in a blanket around 5 p.m. Thursday in the Daoudi neighborhood in western Baghdad -- dumped on the main road near a train station. His hands and feet were bound, police said. He was wearing gray trousers and a gray shirt.

Police discovered the body and then contacted an Iraqi army patrol that was nearby. The Iraqi army also determined that the body appeared to be of a Westerner, and U.S. forces were called to the scene.

A spokesman for the U.S. military confirmed they picked up the body Thursday evening, and it was later determined to be that of Fox.

More than 200 foreigners and thousands of Iraqis have been kidnapped since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. Fifty-four foreign hostages are known to have been killed by their captors, Reuters reported.

Fox, 54, a Quaker from Clear Brook, Virginia, had been abducted with three other members of Christian Peacemaker Teams on November 26.

"In grief we tremble before God who wraps us with compassion. The death of our beloved colleague and friend pierces us with pain," a statement from Christian Peacemaker Teams said.

"We mourn the loss of Tom Fox, who combined a lightness of spirit, a firm opposition to all oppression and the recognition of God in everyone.

"We renew our plea for the safe release of Harmeet Sooden, Jim Loney and Norman Kember."

The brief video of those three hostages was aired Tuesday on the Arabic-language TV network Al-Jazeera. Noticeably absent from the video was Fox, and his status was not mentioned.

A group calling itself the Swords of Righteousness Brigade claimed responsibility for the abductions, and had threatened to kill the men if Iraqi prisoners held by the United States and Iraq were not released.

Fox's death was announced by the U.S. State Department on Friday.

"The FBI has verified the identity of a body found in Iraq," said spokesman Noel Clay. "While additional forensic testing will be completed in the United States, we believe this is the body of Tom Fox."

He said Fox's family was notified, and he offered them the department's "heartfelt condolences."

Doug Pritchard, co-director of Christian Peacemaker Teams in Toronto, said the humanitarian organization planned to maintain its presence in Iraq, at least until the fate of the other captives is known. The group has five workers in the country in addition to the remaining captives.

"We know the risks involved. It's very much a part of our training," Pritchard told a news conference late Friday.

He and Chicago co-director Carol Rose blamed the U.S. involvement in Iraq, backed by Britain, for the captives' dilemma, and urged both nations to release detained Iraqis.

Rose said Fox was "a very quiet man, very thoughtful and had a very subtle and quiet sense of humor."

Although Tuesday's 25-second video that aired was silent, an Al-Jazeera anchor said the three men were pleading with their home governments and Gulf Arab leaders to assist with securing their release.

On the tape were Briton Norman Kember and Canadians James Loney and Harmeet Singh Sooden. The date of February 28, 2006 was superimposed on the tape. In the video, the men were seated, and no hostage-takers were visible.

There have been other videotapes of the men, including one released on an Islamist Web site in December that showed the hostages wearing orange jumpsuits and speaking individually to the camera.

In it, Fox and Kember were blindfolded and their hands chained together.

"I'd like to offer my pleas to the people of America, not to the government of America, a plea for my release from captivity and also a plea for a release from captivity of all the people of Iraq," Fox said.

"The only way that we can all be free is for the American and British soldiers to leave Iraq as soon as possible."

Kember, speaking in a tired, raspy voice, said, "I have been opposed to this war, Mr. (British Prime Minister Tony) Blair's war, since the very beginning. I ask of him now, and the British government, to do all that they can to work for my release and the release of the Iraqi people from oppression."

In response, British Foreign Minister Jack Straw said his government was open to hearing from the hostage-takers, but that the group's demands were ones "plainly no government could meet."

There have been many international calls for the men's release, including pleas from Muslim clerics.

Pritchard said he was with Fox not long before he was kidnapped, when there was a special group meeting. The day before his abduction, Fox wrote an essay in which he asked, "Why are we here?"

"We are here to root out all aspects of dehumanization that exists within us. We are here to stand with those being dehumanized by oppressors and stand firm against that dehumanization," he wrote.

Fox's friend, John Surr, said Fox felt his calling in Iraq was worth the potential risk.

"He was willing to go in there at all costs," Surr said.

Fox, a 54-year-old Quaker, had two children, according to Christian Peacemaker Teams. He enjoyed cooking and playing music on his recorder and bass clarinet.

A music major, Fox graduated from college in May 1973. Though he was unwilling to participate in U.S. military actions in Vietnam, he auditioned for and earned a spot in the Marine Band, based in Washington, where he played to support his family.

After leaving the military, Fox quit the band to become a grocer, according to Christian Peacemaker Teams.