Activists released eight Chinese hostages but announced they had captured a Brazilian as they pressed their "campaign of intimidation" ahead of Iraq's landmark January 30 elections, while expatriates were granted two more days in a late bid to boost turnout.
The Chinese embassy confirmed that eight Chinese hostages captured four days ago and held by Iraqis had been released, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
Al-Arabiya said it had received a statement from the eight men's captors. "The Chinese government showed its good intentions with the publication of a presidential decree banning Chinese citizens from entering Iraq and the Movement of the Islamic Resistance Nuamaan Brigades decided to release the eight prisoners to confirm the friendly relations between the two countries," the statement said.
In the meantime, another armed group announced it was holding a Brazilian hostage after killing a Briton and another Brazilian in an attack on a US firm.
A statement from the group, calling itself the "Mujahedeen Squadrons", was received by Al-Jazeera. It said the group also seized arms and equipment from those attacked while managing to abduct a Brazilian employee.
Footage was shown of the seized equipment and cash as well as identity cards with one bearing the name Joao Jose Vasconcelos Jr. It was not clear if the ID was that of the Brazilian held captive.
And a third Sunni group, the Al-Qaeda-linked Army of the Ansar al-Sunna, said it had shot dead 15 members of the Iraqi army, in a message posted on its Internet site.
