Kenneth Bigley

Kenneth John Bigley (1942 – October 7, 2004), was a civil engineer from Liverpool, England, who was kidnapped in the al-Mansour district of Baghdad, Iraq on September 16, 2004, along with Jack Hensley and Eugene Armstrong, both U.S. citizens. The three men were civil engineers working for Gulf Supplies and Commercial Services, a company working on reconstruction projects in Iraq. All were subsequently beheaded.

Related Topics:
1942 - October 7 - 2004 - Liverpool - England - Baghdad - Iraq - September 16 - Jack Hensley - Eugene Armstrong - U.S. - Civil engineers

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Before they were kidnapped, the men were repeatedly warned about their security and welfare by security personnel hired by their employers to keep them safe. Despite being in such a hostile environment, the men often thwarted advice given to them and went out into the streets without protection or taking simple steps to avoid attracting attention.

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On September 18, the Tawhid and Jihad ("Oneness of God and Holy War") Islamist group, led by Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, released a video of the three men kneeling in front of a Tawhid and Jihad banner. The kidnappers said they would kill the men within 48 hours if their demands for the release of Iraqi women prisoners held by coalition forces were not met.

Related Topics:
September 18 - Tawhid and Jihad - Holy War - Islamist - Jordanian - Abu Musab al-Zarqawi - Coalition forces

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Armstrong was beheaded on September 20 when the deadline expired, Hensley 24 hours later, and Bigley over two weeks later, despite the intervention of the Muslim Council of Britain and the indirect intervention of the British government. Videos of the killings were posted on Islamist websites and on at least one U.S.-based "shock" site specializing in violence and pornography. Using voice-recognition technology, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has claimed that al-Zarqawi personally carried out the beheadings.

Related Topics:
Beheaded - September 20 - Muslim Council of Britain - Violence - Pornography - Central Intelligence Agency

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After Bigley's death, it emerged that the British Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) had launched a rescue operation that had allowed Bigley to escape for a brief period, but he was recaptured at a roadblock, taken back to the Tawhid and Jihad safehouse, and beheaded shortly afterwards.

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