Bombers kill 43 at Baghdad police academy

If true, the man would be the second American taken hostage in the last two weeks. A U.S. citizen was among four peace activists taken hostage Nov. 26 by a group calling itself the Swords of Righteousness. Two Canadians and a Briton were also seized.

On Tuesday, Bush said the United States will work for the return of captive Americans in Iraq but would not submit to terrorist tactics. “We, of course, don’t pay ransom for any hostages,” Bush said.

“What we will do, of course, is use our intelligence-gathering to see if we can’t help locate them,” Bush said.

French engineer abducted
A French engineer was taken hostage in Baghdad on Monday and a German aid worker was abducted near Mosul on Nov. 26.

Police Maj. Falah al-Mohammedawi said authorities had no additional information Tuesday about the kidnapping of the French engineer, Bernard Planche, but that the Interior Ministry had distributed his photo to checkpoints around Baghdad.

There is no evidence the kidnappings were coordinated, and those responsible for abducting the German aid worker and four Christian peace activists claim to represent different groups. But the incidents seemed timed to coincide with Saddam Hussein’s trial or the Dec. 15 elections.

Christian Peacemaker Teams appealed to the kidnappers to release the four activists.

“As you can see by the statements of support from our friends in Iraq and all over the world, we work for those who are oppressed,” the group said. “We also condemn our own governments for their actions in Iraq.”

Also Tuesday, the Marines updated their report on the deaths of 10 Marines on Dec. 1.

The statement said the Marines were not on a foot patrol, as previously reported, but were in an abandoned flour mill when they were killed by an explosion. The troops used the mill as a temporary patrol base, and were there for a promotion ceremony.

The statement said the Marines had gathered in the mill for a promotion ceremony. The military suspects one of the Marines triggered a booby trap, causing the explosion, the statement said.

“Explosive experts believe four artillery shells were buried in two separate locations,” it read.

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