IT consultant freed after almost three years in Baghdad
Kidnapped IT consultant Peter Moore is on his way home to the UK having been held hostage in Iraq since May 2007. The release of Moore follows long negotiations between the Iraqi government and the kidnappers, which apparently resulted in no "substantive concessions" but did lead to him being released to local authorities this …
" described as being "absolutely delighted" at being released, despite having an "very moving" conversation with Foreign Secretary David Miliband"
That really was uncalled for. Considered your knuckles rapped.
If given the prospect of choosing between continued captivity and a "very moving" anything with The Boy Millipede, I'd probably opt for the former...
"Moore is described as being "absolutely delighted" at being released, despite having an "very moving" conversation with Foreign Secretary David Miliband." .... ??
Hopefully, that will have been F.O. specific.
He was working on their Windoze network!
Sorry, couldn't help myself. Glad he's safe, can't imagine going through what he's been through...
Mine's the one with the Sun badge in the pocket...
But image:
Peter Martin: Know what I would like? Best thing would be a pint of bitter, or a scotch, or may be a glass of chilled chablis....
Embassy Official: No, sorry sir, you have to have a discussion with the Foreign Secretary. And it has to be moving. Very moving, we have to get this in to the papers.
Peter Martin: Who is the foreign secretary, these days?
Embassy Official: No-one you have heard of, but just make sure it's "very moving".
Can't wait to see that timesheet.
.. I hope he spends the next few days filling in his timesheets, he must be owed a fortune
Has *anyone* taken care of *any* of his in tray?
Seriously this is great news. It does look as if the Foreign Office actually *did* something for once.
Is he "absolutely delighted" because as a consultant he has been on the clock for the past 3 years?
As an ex security-contractor on various PSD details in Iraq myself, I'm delighted he's been released.
Thanks also to his captors for letting him go - as hard as that is to say.
Great news indeed. TV news is now saying that he was actually held in Iran and not Iraq.
He will find he cannot claim the time as he was absent from his place of work without prior agreement, err technically, he failed to fulfil the terms of his contract so no dosh.....
The lengths some people will go to to get good british I.T. support, brings a tear to your eye!
Trying pinning IR35 in this guy buy saying that he is "not taking significant risks in his business activities"
He was lucky. What about the others?
Blue-Collar Man: Three months ago I was offered a job up in the hills. A beautiful house with tons of property. It was a simple reshingling job, but I was told that if it was finished within a day, my price would be doubled. Then I realized whose house it was.
Dante: Whose house was it?
Blue-Collar Man: Dominick Bambino's.
Randal: "Babyface" Bambino? The gangster?
Blue-Collar Man: The same. The money was right, but the risk was too big. I knew who he was, and based on that, I passed the job on to a friend of mine.
Dante: Based on personal politics.
Blue-Collar Man: Right. And that week, the Foresci family put a hit on Babyface's house. My friend was shot and killed. He wasn't even finished shingling.
Randal: No way!
Blue-Collar Man: (paying for coffee) I'm alive because I knew there were risks involved taking on that particular client. My friend wasn't so lucky. (pauses to reflect) You know, any contractor willing to work on that Death Star knew the risks. If they were killed, it was their own fault. A roofer listens to this... (taps his heart) not his wallet.
A lot of us are, erm, "resting" at the moment. Or "starting a new business". Or "travelling the world". Or "going into a monastery". You have to put SOMETHING on your CV, right? Agents whine if there are suspicious gaps in employment.
Now I know that people advise against "Spent time in prison" as a possible space-filler on a CV. But "Spent time in prison as Hezbollah hostage..." maybe!!!! What a guy!
Good to know he's out, all the same.
He'll basically have missed all of Vista's lifespan! Oh noes!
Earned more the the Prime Minister , no doubt!
I just don't understand what happened. We allowed him to scheduled his own release date, but it just kept slipping and slipping. He always had some excuse...
That thinks this entire business is somewhat murky?
I am glad for him and his family that he is out, but..:
What exactly was he doing for the Iraq finance ministry that meant he had four bodyguards, that he was specially selected for kidnapping by the Iranians, that he was clearly held in Iran but that nobody will admit this, that he has been freed under some kind of deal that has also gone unreported, that he gave our FM a bollocking on his release ..? The list of questions goes on.
Some journalism please!
I seem to recall that some news program suggested that he was installing software that was somehow going to help identifying insurgents. Presumably some sort of database/datamine which takes multiple intelligence inputs and when it goes bing, tells you who your insurgents are.
That may have been speculation though, also it may be standard practice for techies to have large numbers of bodyguards.
...his kidnap insurance required him to have bodyguards any time he was outside his hotel, it would be normal in such circumstances, and sensible.
According the the Guardian "he was installing a system that would show how a vast amount of international aid was diverted to Iran's militia groups in Iraq.".
This sounds a bit over the top; in reality he was almost certainly trying struggling to install a standard version of the Unctad Debt Management System. See here: http://r0.unctad.org/dmfas/countries/iraq.htm
