Video 'shows Margaret Hassan murder'

The family and friends of aid worker Margaret Hassan were in mourning tonight after a video was released apparently showing her murder in Iraq.

The film is said to show a blindfolded Mrs Hassan dressed in an orange jumpsuit being killed by a pistol shot to her head.

Tonight, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Foreign Secretary Jack Straw sent their condolences and sympathy to the Hassan family.

A spokesman for Mr Blair said: “The Prime Minister sends his sympathy to the family of Margaret Hassan and shares their abhorrence at the cruel treatment of someone who devoted so many years of their life to helping the people of Iraq.”

Mr Straw said experts had examined the video and concluded that she “probably” had been murdered.

He went on: “To kidnap and kill anyone is inexcusable. But it is repugnant to commit such a crime against a woman who has spent most of her life working for the good of the people of Iraq.”

Tahseen Hassan, husband of the 59-year-old hostage who had been held in captivity since October 19, said he also believed his wife had been murdered.

In a television plea, he said: “I have been told that there is a video of Margaret which appears to show her murder. The video may be genuine but I do not know.

“I beg those people who took Margaret to tell me what they have done with her.

“They can tell me. They can call the helpline. I need her. I need her back to rest in peace.”

Mrs Hassan was seized by gunmen on her way to work in western Baghdad early in the morning.

She headed Care International’s operations in Iraq and had lived with her husband in the country for 30 years.

Her husband pleaded: “She dedicated her life to serving the Iraqi people. Please now, please return her to me.”

Her family, including her sisters and brothers, said their hearts were “broken” by the news.

“We have kept hoping for as long as we could, but we now have to accept that Margaret has probably gone and at last her suffering has ended,” they said in a statement.

“Our prayers and thoughts are with our dear brother-in-law Tahseen.”

The video, supposedly showing Mrs Hassan’s death, was sent to an Arab satellite TV station a few days ago.

Al-Jazeera spokesman Jihad Ballout said the station was not initially sure of its authenticity.

“We invited British diplomatic officials to come and view it in Doha, Qatar, with the aim of helping us ascertain whether it was Mrs Hassan or not,” he said.

“It’s now likely that the image depicts Mrs Hassan,” he said.

No group has claimed responsibility for her kidnapping or murder.