Govt officials seek to locate kidnapped journalist Carroll

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern has been in close contact with Irish diplomats in a number of countries in relation to the kidnapping of Dublin journalist Rory Carroll.

Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern has been in close contact with Irish diplomats in a number of countries, including Irish ambassadors in Tehran and Cairo, in relation to the kidnapping of Dublin journalist Rory Carroll.

Mr Carroll, who works for The Guardian newspaper, is originally from Blackrock in Dublin and is a graduate of Dublin City University. He has worked in Baghdad since January.

He was kidnapped by gunmen yesterday after they beat up his drivers as he returned from an interview.

Officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs say they have been working through the night to try to gather information about Mr Carroll’s whereabouts.

A number of journalists have been held for short periods in the area where Mr Carroll was snatched, and later freed once their captors were convinced they were not foreign spies.