Free the Captives: Witness Against Illegal Detention and Torture

from BBC News: New Video of CPT Captives

The video and report are about two minutes long. Some of the captives appear to be speaking, but cannot be heard. The new video does not set a specific deadline, but says this is the "last chance" for US forces to save them by releasing all prisoners in Iraq.

from BBC News: Kember captors release new video

Anas Altikriti of the Muslim Association of Britain, who has been campaigning in the Middle East for Mr Kember's release, said the video showed there had been "some kind of breakthrough" in the efforts to communicate with the captors.

He said he still did not know who was holding the men or where they were, but the video was a positive sign that they were still being held by the same group.

He told BBC News: "One of the things we were extremely concerned about over the last six weeks was that the initial group... would change hands and in a sense sell them off to a bigger, possibly even more ruthless group.
"Now I think we have reason to be hopeful."

Mr Altikriti said: "The contact after all this time... shows they are willing to negotiate, willing to talk and that is a very good thing. Otherwise they would have carried out their threat regardless."

Another view: "The video is a very bad sign," wrote the Jawa Report's resident expert, who calls himself Rusty Shackleford.

While al Jazeera chose not to air the audio from it, the video is said to demand the release of all Iraqi prisoners or the four Western hostages will be murdered. Up to this point, speculation has abounded that the 'Swords of Righteousness Brigade', the organization behind the hostage crisis, was a criminal organization interested in ransoming the hostages for money.

"However, The Jawa Report was the first media outlet to reveal the 'The Swords of Righteousness Brigade' may be a front for the radical Islamist terror organization, The Islamic Army in Iraq. Analysts working for major MSM outlets later confirmed our initial reports.

"The Islamic Army in Iraq has murdered foreign hostages in the past, including Italian Red Cross worker Enzo Baldoni, and has worked with Abu Musab al Zarqawi's al Qaeda in Iraq in the past.

"More recent reports indicate that The Islamic Army in Iraq (IAI) has broken any ties it had with al Qaeda. There is even some indication that IAI and al Qaeda are openly fighting in some areas. ]

Also: BBC correspondent Nicholas Witchell, in Baghdad, said it was "disturbing" that the group was still making political demands which could not be met.

He said the US had released 420 prisoners, including five women, two days ago but there were many thousands of people still in detention.

He added: "It is completely inconceivable that all the people in detention in Iraq would be released."

Comments from Kember Friends

A friend of Mr Kember, Chris Cole, told BBC he was relieved to hear news "after such a long period of silence".
'"But obviously we're extremely concerned and extremely worried about how they're looking and how they're dealing with the ordeal," he told BBC News.

He said he was sure that there was dialogue between the hostages and their captors.

"Norman's a man of great faith and we very much hope that they're all together - that will keep up their sprits.
"But, obviously, Norman's 74 - it's a very difficult time and we hope and pray that he remains strong."