UK Muslims believe Bigley alive

Ken Bigley was captured at gunpoint in Baghdad on 16 September

Two members of the Muslim Council of Britain returning from Iraq after pressing for the release of British hostage Ken Bigley believe he is alive.

Dr Daud Abdullah and Dr Musharraf Hussain urged Muslim leaders to put pressure on the kidnappers and believe they got their message across.

Dr Abdullah said Islamic leaders gave "concrete promises" of support.

Yasser Arafat has promised to intercede on behalf of Mr Bigley according to a senior Irish politician.

Mr Bigley, 62, a civil engineer from Liverpool, was captured at gunpoint in Baghdad on 16 September with two American colleagues, who have both since been murdered.

The delegation of British Muslims, which returned to the UK from Baghdad on Tuesday, appealed for his release on Iraqi radio and have placed appeals in two of the country's most widely circulated newspapers.

Raised profile

Dr Abdullah said: "We have raised the profile of this issue in Iraq and throughout the Middle East."

He told BBC News 24: "We spoke to a wide range of people in Iraq and a number of leaders gave us concrete promises of help and support.

"They believe Ken is alive and I believe he is alive."

The Muslim Council of Britain representative said the religious and tribal leaders he spoke to were "extremely helpful and understanding".

Meanwhile, Michael D Higgins, foreign affairs spokesman for the Labour Party in Dublin, said Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat pledged to intervene on behalf of Mr Bigley in a letter.

Mr Higgins told BBC Radio 4 Today programme he had written a letter to Mr Arafat seeking his "intercession and influence".

Release demanded

News of Mr Arafat's support comes after Mr Bigley's brother Paul told the BBC he was convinced his brother was still alive.

On Monday he criticised Mr Blair for "only going through the diplomatic instruction book" in his efforts to free his brother.

Attacking what he branded an "immoral war", he urged Mr Blair to withdraw British troops.

Mr Bigley is being held by the hardline Tawhid and Jihad group, led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, one of the world's most wanted men.

They have demanded the release of women prisoners.

The Foreign Office has called into question claims made on Islamist website that the captors of Mr Bigley were willing to exchange him for a number of terrorism suspects being held at Belmarsh Prison in south London.