Al-Qaida ally offers fresh hope Hassan may be freed

FRESH hopes emerged last night that Dublin-born hostage Margaret Hassan could be released by her abductors.

A statement on an Islamist website, attributed to the al-Qaida-linked group of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, called for the release of the kidnapped aid worker.

The authenticity of the statement could not be confirmed, but the group said: “We call on those responsible for her captivity to release her unless she is proven to be a collaborator with the US-led forces.