James Foley's body must be returned to his family, says freed Lincoln Iraq hostage Peter Moore
| Posted: August 22, 2014
Peter Moore from Lincoln was held hostage in Iraq for over two and a half years
Freed Iraq hostage Peter Moore, who endured mock executions during 946 days in captivity, says the body of beheaded journalist James Foley must be returned to his grieving family.
Mr Moore, an IT specialist from Lincoln, the longest held hostage in Iraq, spoke out in response to the shocking Islamic State (IS) video of American Mr Foley’s execution.
The US Defence Secretary, Chuck Hagel has said IS poses a long-term threat, the most dangerous the US has faced in recent years.
As the FBI leads an international manhunt for the jihadist responsible – thought be from London – Mr Moore told the Echo: “A sense of compassion is needed now.
“It has been quite some time since Mr Foley and the others went missing, their families have suffered through great turmoil.
“One would hope that those with influence in the region can now move forward with the return of Mr Foley's remains so that the family members can have closure.
“Sadly, ISIS have made their point and one would hope that this might be a time when differences can be transcended.”
Mr Moore, who now works in Guyana, was working in Baghdad for the American IT consulting firm BearingPoint when he was kidnapped on May 29, 2007.
One hundred armed Iraqi police officers stormed the Ministry of Finance building and bundled him and his four British bodyguards into vehicles at gunpoint.
Mr Moore was freed on December 30 2009, two years, seven months and one day after his capture, in exchange for the militia leader Qais Al Khazlli.
All four of his guards were killed.
Mr Moore’s captors burnt his feet with a cigarette lighter, strangled him until he blacked out, hung by his arms on a door, doused him in water, pistol whipped him and put him through a series of mock executions.
He also endured being blindfolded, handcuffed and chained up by an ankle.
Mr Moore suffered severe dysentery and was kept alone for much of his ordeal.
Shortly after his release, Mr Moore, a former pupil of Sir Francis Hill Primary, in Lincoln, and North Kesteven School, in North Hykeham, told the Echo: “I remember thinking that when I was going to be executed what I would do is think about when I was a boy walking my dog Timmy along the back of Hollywell Road.
“They took me out of my room and put a gun to my head and I started shaking.
“Then I was back in the room and still alive. I thought ‘damn – I forgot to think about walking the dog’.”
The extremist who beheaded Mr Foley is said to have been identified by a freed hostage as ‘John’.
Former Isis hostage, French journalist Didier François, told Europe 1 Radio he had an idea of the identity of the killer.
Mr François said he was warned against telling the public he had been held with Mr Foley and Steve Sotloff, another American journalist held by Islamic State.
He said: “Their exact words were: ‘They’ll be punished’.”
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