An Arabic TV channel has aired a video claiming to show one of five Britons captured in Iraq eight months ago.



The footage showed a man making an appeal to Prime Minister Gordon Brown to help secure the hostages' freedom.

"My name is Peter Moore, I have been held here for nearly eight months now," the man in the video footage said.

The man asked Mr Brown to free nine Iraqis in exchange for the Britons' release. The Foreign Office has condemned the release of the video.

The video shows the man speaking in English with an Arabic translation played over the top.

The man appealed for the freedom of the Iraqis prisoners - being held by the coalition authorities - in exchange for the Britons who were seized in May 2007.

"All I want is to leave this place. I tell Gordon Brown the matter is simple: release their prisoners so we can go.

"It's as simple as that. It's a simple exchange of people. That is all they want - their people and we can go home," the man said.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) criticised the footage and said: "We condemn the release of videos such as this, which are greatly distressing to the families of those involved. Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.

"We urge those holding the group to release them immediately. We are in close contact with the Iraqi authorities and doing everything we can to try and secure a swift release."

The FCO said it wanted anyone who could influence the situation to do what they could to ensure the "safety and release of the hostages".

"We again call directly on those holding these men to release them."

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BBC News