26 September 2004	Sunday	10 Shaban 1425

LONDON, Sept 25: Britain said on Saturday that it was not taking seriously a claim on an extremist website that a British hostage held in Iraq had been murdered, adding the website in question was 'discredited'.

"We are aware of the site called Alezah which is running that story, but it is a discredited website. We don't think it is to be taken seriously at this point," a foreign office spokesman told AFP.

Ken Bigley, a 62-year-old British engineer, was abducted on Sept 16 from his home in Baghdad along with two US colleagues. The Americans have since been murdered by their captors.

A brief statement on the website www.alezah.com said that: "Tawhid wal Jihad (Unity and Holy War) announces the execution of the Briton and gives the good news of the kidnapping of seven British soldiers."

It added that a 'cassette' would soon be made available. But the ministry of defence also denied that any British forces had been captured. "It's not the case, it is not true," a spokesman said.

A spokesman for the British Army added that all forces in Iraq "are accounted for." The same website has published other so far unsubstantiated claims.

On Thursday, it carried a statement from a second group that claimed to have beheaded Italian women aid workers Simona Terretta and Simona Pari, held hostage in Iraq since Sept 7.

The Italian government has also said it has found no proof to support the claim that the two women had been murdered by their captors.-AFP