Roy Hallums
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Roy Hallums (born June 23, 1948) is an American contractor who was kidnapped in Iraq in November 2004. He was held in Iraq for 311 days and freed in September 2005, making his captivity the longest for any of the foreigners taken hostage in Iraq.
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[edit] Life
Hallums was born in Newport Beach, California. In 1971 he married Susan Hallums, and they had a daughter, Carrie Anne. The couple divorced in 2003 but remained good friends. Hallums had been working in Saudi Arabia since 1993 and eventually came to work for the Saudi Arabian Trading and Construction Co. After the outbreak of war with Iraq, Hallums went to Baghdad, where his company provided food for the Iraqi Army.
[edit] Captivity
On November 1, 2004, 20 gunmen stormed the compound where Hallums and his co-workers were working, in the upscale Mansour District of Baghdad. Hallums was taken hostage along with Roberto Tarongoy of the Philippines, Inus Dewari of Nepal, and three Iraqis. Dewari and the Iraqis were later released soon after their abduction.
On December 18, American diplomats identified Hallums as the American kidnapped on November 1. His family had pleaded for his release weeks before, however, and Hallums had been identified on several websites.
His daughter Carrie Anne Cooper soon set up a website [1] asking for Roy's release. His family also appealed for his release on Al Jazeera.
A videotape of Hallums was released by insurgents on January 25, 2005. It is unclear when the tape was made. Hallums had a long beard, and was seated with a gun pointed at his head. "I have been arrested by a resistance group in Iraq," Hallums said. "I am asking for help because my life is in danger, because it has been proved that I work for American forces."
Hallums didn't appeal to American President Bush but did to Libyan president Muammar al-Gaddafi to help earn his release. Qaddafi later called for Hallum's release.
Roberto Tarongoy was freed on June 23, 2005. Tarongoy said that he thought Hallums was still alive, and said the kidnappers demanded $12 million dollars.
[edit] Liberation
Hallums was freed on September 7, 2005, along with an Iraqi captive, when American troops raided a farmhouse 15 miles south of Baghdad. The location was apparently given by an Iraqi detainee. When coalition troops arrived, the kidnappers had fled.
Altogether, Roy Hallums had been captive ten months and seven days. He said that he had been bound and gagged for much of the time, but doctors described him as being in "good health." After his release, he called his daughter and identified himself by saying "This is Dad."
The freed hostage also delivered this statement: "I want to thank all of those who were involved in my rescue -- to those who continuously tracked my captors and location, and to those who physically brought me freedom today. To all of you, I will be forever grateful."
