A California-based Australian who was kidnapped six weeks ago in Iraq was found and freed yesterday in a dramatic raid in Baghdad – and immediately asked for a beer.
Hopes for Douglas Wood had been fading since May 1, when the 64-year-old engineer was shown pleading for his life on a video that appeared on al-Jazeera.
But Wood, who suffers from a serious heart ailment, was discovered – concealed under a blanket – during an Iraqi army raid on a home in a dangerous Sunni neighborhood of Ghazaliya yesterday, Iraqi authorities said.
“He was tied down and [the residents] claimed he was their father and he was sick,” Iraqi Gen. Naseer Abadi told reporters.
Wood, a longtime resident of Alamo, Calif., called each of his three brothers in Australia following his release.
“He rang us all in turn and it was a bit of a thrill. I think the main thing he [said] was, ‘Where’s my beer?’ ” said one of the brothers, Vernon Wood.
Douglas Wood also issued a statement saying he was “extremely happy and relieved.”
“It is a sign for the future of Iraq that Iraqi soldiers played a role in my release,” he added.
Wood appeared to be haggard and weak and had to be supported by GIs as he was led to a waiting American armored personnel carrier.
“He has been blindfolded, handcuffed. He has not been well looked after,” Australia’s counterterrorism chief Nick Warner said.
“Wood is now resting comfortably and is in a safe location in Baghdad,” Warner said. “He’s as well as you could expect.”
There was no immediate word from his American wife, but Wood’s relatives in Australia were “of course delighted,” said another brother, Malcolm Wood, in Canberra.
It was only the second time that hostages in Iraq have been freed following a military operation.
On June 8, 2004, U.S. Special Forces rescued four hostages, three Italians and a Pole.
Wood had not been seen since May 7 when he appeared on another video tape battered and bruised – with two machine guns pointed at his head – as he read an insurgent ultimatum. His captors had threatened to execute him unless the United States and Australia withdrew all troops from Iraq.
But clues to his whereabouts emerged after the anti-insurgent Operation Lightning was launched May 29 in Baghdad.
Warner cited “specific intelligence and tips that provided a hint at what might be found at that location.”
With Post Wire Services