An Egyptian diplomat has been kidnapped in Baghdad by a group which demands that Egypt not cooperate with US forces in Iraq, Al Jazeera said today.
"The group said the abduction was in response to comments by Egyptian Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif that Egypt is ready to offer its security experience to the temporary Iraqi government," Al Jazeera said, naming the hostage as Mr Mohamed Mamdouh Qutb and showing a videotape it said had been sent to it by the group.
"The hostage said in the tape that the Egyptian embassy does not cooperate with the American forces and should help the Iraqi people in rebuilding," the channel said. Mr Qutb was shown sitting in front of six masked men in black, at least one armed with a rifle.
Mr Qutb, who Al Jazeera said described as the number three in the Egyptian embassy in Baghdad, said he was good health, the channel said. The group called itself the "Lions of God Battalions in Iraq".
Staff of the embassy confirmed a diplomat had been abducted.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Mr Ahmed Aboul Gheit, commenting on the kidnapping of an Egyptian diplomat in Baghdad, said tonight that Egypt had no plans to send any forces to Iraq.
"He affirmed that Egypt sending any forces or soldiers to Iraq was not a matter that has been proposed at all," the official news agency MENA said, quoting a statement which it said was a comment on the kidnapping.
Kidnappers have seized dozens of foreigners since April to press demands for foreign troops to leave Iraq, to deter foreigners from working with U.S. forces or to extract ransoms.
A group which has threatened to behead seven foreign hostages - an Egyptian, three Kenyans and three Indians - issued a new 48-hour deadline to their Kuwaiti employers today and demanded Iraqi prisoners be freed from Kuwaiti and US jails, Al Jazeera said earlier.
Those countries are not part of the US-led military coalition in Iraq but many of their nationals work as drivers and contractors.
Many hostages have been freed, including an Egyptian released on Monday after the Saudi firm he worked for agreed to his captors' demands that it close its offices in Iraq.
On Tuesday a Filipino truck driver held hostage in Iraq was set free, a day after Manila withdrew its troops in response to demands from a group who had threatened to behead him.