The kidnappers who grabbed Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni on the road between Baghdad and Najaf in Iraq have killed him, the Italian government confirmed.
"We can confirm it was him, unfortunately," a spokesman for Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi said last night.
Italian Prime Minister Mr Silvio Berlusconi
Arabic language television channel Al Jazeera said Mr Baldoni's kidnappers - a group calling itself the Islamic Army in Iraq - killed him because Italy refused to heed their earlier deadline to withdraw troops from Iraq within 48 hours.
Al Jazeera showed a video of Mr Baldoni (56), speaking to the camera in front of the group's banner, but no audio could be heard. The television said it would not air footage showing Mr Baldoni's dead body out of respect for his family.
Mr Berlusconi responded quickly with a statement reiterating his determination to keep Italian forces in the US-led coalition and condemning Mr Baldoni's killing.
"There are no words for an act lacking any humanity and which at a stroke cancels out centuries of civilisation and takes us back to the dark ages of barbarity," he said.
Italian newspapers said Mr Baldoni and his driver-interpreter were caught in an ambush between Baghdad and Najaf, scene of a Shia rebellion. His driver was found dead last Saturday.
On Tuesday, the Islamic Army in Iraq gave Italy 48 hours to withdraw its 2,700 troops from Iraq or the journalist would be killed. Italy, which has the third-largest foreign military contingent in the country, refused to bow to the kidnappers' demands.
As well as working as a reporter for the Milan-based weekly Diario, Mr Baldoni was volunteering for the Red Cross while in Iraq.
Four other Italians have been taken hostage in Iraq since militants began employing the technique in April to pressure US allies and businesses to leave the country. One of them, a civilian security guard, was shot dead. The three others were released unharmed.
Meanwhile, a Kuwaiti transport firm said today it would halt its operations in Iraq after a group holding seven of its drivers hostage said it would release them if the firm left the country.