British hostage held in Iraq released

A British man held hostage in Iraq for more than two years has been released alive and in good health. Peter Moore was kidnapped with four of his bodyguards near Iraq's Finance Ministry in 2007.

Moore has been handed to the British Embassy in Baghdad. The Iraqi government said it's happy that he will be joining his family for the holidays. The bodies of three of his bodyguards had previously been handed over to British authorities.

The fate of the fourth is unknown. Moore was a computer programmer working on a contract in Baghdad when he was kidnapped from the city's Computer Services Institute.

British Foreign Secretary David Miliband on Wednesday condemned hostage taking in the strongest terms, and said he had spoken to Moore after his release.

David Miliband, British Foreign Secretary, said, "He's obviously - to put it mildly - absolutely delighted at his release. We are in close touch with Peter's family. His family and friends are also deeply relieved he's been released, that he has come through what has been an unspeakable two and a half years of misery, fear and uncertainty."

An image grab taken from a videotape broadcast in 2008 by the Al- Arabiya news network shows British hostage in Iraq, Peter Moore. Moore, kidnapped with four others in Iraq in 2007, has been released, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said. (AFP/Al-Arabiya/File)