2005

November 26:
American Tom Fox, 54, Briton Norman Kember, 74, and Canadians James Loney, 41, and Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32, all peace activists, are kidnapped in Iraq.

November 30:
al-Jazeera television broadcasts video footage of the hostages, held captive by a largely unknown group called the Swords of Truth Brigade. The group claims the activists are in fact working as undercover spies.

December 2:
A second videotaped message showing images of the hostages is broadcast by al-Jazeera. If the US and Iraqi authorities do not meet a demand to release all Iraqi prisoners by December 8, the group claims the hostages will die.

December 6:
An extended version of the second hostage video is released on the internet. In it, Briton Norman Kember calls for British troops to pull out of Iraq.

December 8:
Another video is aired on al-Jazeera, showing Kember and US hostage Tom Fox blindfolded, shackled, and dressed in orange jumpsuits. The deadline for their execution is extended by 48 hours.

December 10:
The deadline passes. Troops are not withdrawn from Iraq. There is no knowledge of the hostages' fate, and there won’t be for seven long weeks.

2006

January 28:
A fourth video is aired by al-Jazeera. The four hostages are shown along with the captors, who again threaten to execute the men if their demands are not met.

March 7:
A videotape of the British and two Canadian hostages is aired. There is no sound, and American authorities are concerned that US hostage Tom Fox is notably absent from the scene.

March 10:
The US State Department confirms that the body of an executed American found in Iraq is former hostage Tom Fox.

March 23:
After receiving a tip from an informant, the remaining three hostages are rescued in Baghdad by multi-national forces.