Family's plea for Briton kidnapped in Baghdad

The family of a British civil engineer kidnapped in Baghdad with two American colleagues made a desperate plea today for his release.

The three were hauled away by militants without a shot being fired during yesterday's dawn raid on their house in the wealthy al-Mansour district.

The men worked for Gulf Supplies and Commercial Services.

Company spokesman Khaled Abbas said: "Our first and only concern is getting their safe release. Their families are pleading for their release and we are pleading that the captorsto release them as soon as possible."

The 50-year-old Briton has not been named but was known to neighbours as Kenneth. The US embassy in Baghdad named the Americans as Jack Hensley and Eugene Armstrong.

Details of their capture emerged as reports revealed that the body of a man, believed to be a Westerner, had been found in northern Iraq.