RELATIVES of murdered hostage Ken Bigley hope his remains may finally be found after a prisoner in Turkey was questioned in connection with the horrific killing, his brother has said.
RELATIVES of murdered hostage Ken Bigley hope his remains may finally be found after a prisoner in Turkey was questioned in connection with the horrific killing, his brother has said.
Phil Bigley, of Ipswich, spoke as it emerged that Syrian national Loa'i al-Saqa has been questioned about his brother's execution in Iraq in October 2004.
Mr al-Saqa is in custody in Turkey, where he is currently standing trial for a spate of bombings at the British Consulate and other buildings in 2003. He denies the charges.
According to the BBC, Turkey's Anatolia news agency has reported that Mr al-Saqa was interviewed for an hour-and-a-half in the city of Kocaeli.
It comes after his lawyer had claimed last April that his client had information on the execution and knew where Ken Bigley's body was buried.
Yesterday, Phil Bigley said: “We are grateful to the Foreign Office that they continue to support us, and the Metropolitan Police.
“Anything that will bring about the location of my brother's remains would be our goal.
“That's what we're hoping to achieve, certainly on behalf of my mother, so we can seek final closure.”
Mr Bigley said Mr al-Saqa was arrested some months ago, but it has taken a long time for the British authorities to be granted permission to quiz him.
He said: “It's a really slow process. I know from the interviews they've had that nothing has been forthcoming.
“The Foreign Office is in constant contact with us. I will never give up hope - I can't afford to.”
Ken Bigley was kidnapped along with two American colleagues in Iraq on September 16, 2004, by the extremist Tawhid and Jihad group.
His plight captured the hearts of the nation, as he was repeatedly shown in videos released by his captors - who were demanding the release of female Iraqi prisoners - pleading for help from the Government.
Despite condemnation and criticism from around the world, the kidnappers beheaded the 62-year-old engineer in October 2004.
Do you have a message of support for the Bigley family? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk
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