Hassan’s family await news

THE family of Iraq hostage Margaret Hassan faced an anxious wait today after her kidnappers threatened to hand her over to murderous Abu Musab al-Zarqawi if their demands were not met within 48 hours.

Her employer, aid agency Care International, said it was “profoundly distressed” by news of a video showing the 59-year-old pleading for her life directly to camera before fainting.

Arab TV station Al Jazeera refused on humanitarian grounds to broadcast the shocking scenes of Ms Hassan, who has British, Irish and Iraqi nationality.