BBC ON THIS DAY | 8 | 1991: Beirut hostage John McCarthy freed About This Site | Text Only 1991: Beirut hostage John McCarthy freed John McCarthy, Britain's longest-held hostage in Lebanon, has been set free after more than five years in captivity. The militant group, Islamic Jihad, which had had been holding the journalist announced his release in a statement delivered to a news agency in the capital, Beirut. The statement described Mr McCarthy as an "envoy" and said he had been given a letter to deliver in person to the UN Secretary General. Mr McCarthy - who was abducted in April 1986 - was one of about 11 Westerners believed to be held by Islamic Jihad or other militant groups. Speaking at a news conference in Damascus, Syria where he was flown after his release, Mr McCarthy thanked those who had campaigned on his behalf. He urged them to carry on working for the release of those still in captivity. "Keep up the efforts to end the ordeal of my fellow hostages and all those who are held in similar conditions in the region," he said.

Mr McCarthy said that American hostages Terry Anderson and Tom Sutherland and Briton Terry Waite had been in good health and spirits when he left them two days ago. Whatever strength he had found to endure the last few years had come from his fellow hostages, he added. In Britain Mr McCarthy's friend, Jill Morrell, who led a campaign to get him freed said she was "ecstatic" at his release. "There were times when it seemed like it would take forever and there were times when it seemed like it had been going on for an eternity but we all always knew that John would be released one day," Miss Morrell said. The ordeal of captivity was over but John McCarthy now faced the new ordeal of re-entering the world which would be like a "bright glaring light" to him, she added. Terry Waite: My mission of peace to the people who held me hostage - Telegraph Lebanon Terry Waite: My mission of peace to the people who held me hostage Terry Waite spent five years as a captive in Lebanon. Last week he went back to confront his captors with a message of reconciliation.

By Terry Waite Comments The night before my return visit to Beirut last week, I needed to call my bank regarding a transaction on my credit card. When the matter was dealt with, I thought it wise to inform them that for the next few days I would be overseas in Beirut. There was a pause on the line. “Mr Waite,” said the lady, “I rather wish you hadn’t told me that!” Her reaction was hardly surprising. For years, Lebanon has been the scene of kidnapping and warfare. In the late 1980s, I languished there for almost five years as a hostage, most of the time chained to a wall and denied many basic creature comforts. In recent years, the situation in Lebanon has vastly improved, but the name Hizbollah continues to strike terror into the hearts of many. Once wholly identified as a terrorist group, the Iranian-backed Shia militia has since developed into a fully-fledged political party. Now, the country’s fragile peace is threatened by the conflict raging in Syria and the continued turmoil in the Middle East.

I was released from captivity in November 1991, and returned once, several years later, to support some of the development projects being supported by YCare International, an agency I helped found some 30 years ago. But I had not been back since that visit. I was invited to return again last week, in particular to see for myself the plight of the many Christian refugees who are flooding across the Syrian/Lebanese border to escape the horrors of the so-called “Arab Spring”. Related Articles Iran and Syria use Hizbollah to seize control in Lebanon 23 Jan 2011 To reach the Syrian border, one has to travel through the Bekaa Valley which, since Roman times, has been a prime agricultural region. In recent years, it has developed a less pastoral image as it has become known as an area where terrorism is rife and where many hostages are alleged to have been kept. For most of my captivity, I was held in the southern suburbs of Beirut, although it is just possible that for the final few months the Bekaa was my home. I can’t be sure about that.

Each time I was moved, I would be wrapped in masking tape, blindfolded and transported in the boot of a car. On this visit, I travelled in comfort in the front seat of a four-wheel drive vehicle, although when more people piled in, I did offer to move to the boot! It was strange to be on a road that perhaps I had travelled along years earlier as a hostage. I remembered lying in the boot, trying to recall every twist and turn of the road and listening intently to the sounds of life outside. I don’t suppose I shall ever know where I spent my days incarcerated and, frankly, I don’t much care. We arrived at Al Qaa, a dusty, somewhat ramshackle town that has been the scene of numerous border clashes across the years. It is here that many of the Christian families who have escaped from the terrors of warfare in Syria find a temporary home. For generations – almost for 2,000 years – the different ethnic and religious communities have lived side by side in Syria. Christians and Muslims have shared places of worship. Today, that has changed dramatically.

It could be argued that the Arab Spring began in 2011 as a genuine movement seeking greater democratic freedom across the Arab world. It could also be argued with equal force that the uprising has now been hijacked by extreme jihadists and that, for the first time in years, religious persecution is taking place where once there was harmony. The refugees now seeking shelter in Lebanon have been taken into the homes of other Christian families or are renting properties. The people I met were not, by any stretch of the imagination, well off. I visited a family paying $200 (£125) a month for rent, plus $100 for fuel. The main breadwinner earned between $10 and $15 a day, if he was lucky, as employment did not come his way on a daily basis. He had a wife and several children to support, including one poor little boy suffering from Down’s syndrome who sat huddled in a blanket in the corner of the room where I was received. In the past few weeks, at least 200 Christian families from Syria have come to this village, and thousands more have entered other parts of the country seeking shelter.

Poor little Lebanon, I thought, with the Israeli/Palestinian conflict on the one side and now the Syrian horrors on the other. The conflict had become so severe that other families I visited said they had been forced to leave their homes. In one place, there were 15 people living in four small rooms. “The Arab Spring is a joke,” said one of the refugees. “It has become another form of persecution.” Such disruptions over the border in Syria are bound to impinge on Lebanon in many ways. On our return to Beirut, we learned that on the road to the very town we had visited that afternoon, three men were abducted by an armed gang, probably made up of criminal opportunists. Gradually, the fragile peace that Lebanon currently enjoys is being threatened. Leaving Al Qaa, I travelled to Zahle, another border town, to talk to John Darwish, the Melkite Archbishop. A mild-mannered and gentle person, he is gravely concerned about the breakdown in relationships in Syria and the number of refugees flocking into Lebanon. It is difficult to get an accurate estimate, but a figure of 250,000 is quoted. It could be more, and is increasing each day.

Apart from the current refugee problems, I also discussed with the Archbishop one of the most remarkable developments in Lebanon in recent years: the agreement, signed in 2006, that effectively brought together a majority of the Christian communities with Hizbollah – Christian and Muslims working together for a united Lebanon. Cynics might regard this agreement as nothing more than political expediency, and of course the politics of the situation do play heavily in the situation. However, it may well be that it marks the way for the only solution possible for Lebanon, and indeed for the surrounding countries. Given the ethnic and religious mix in Lebanon, the only sensible solution is for the different communities to respect each other and live and work together for the good of the country. The Archbishop strongly backed the new relationship and firmly believed that Hizbollah had grown and matured over the years, and was indeed working for the best interests of all the people of Lebanon. He believed that this act of reconciliation was a positive step forward. The next morning, I decided it was time to make my own move towards reconciliation, believing as I do that political agreements have to be accompanied by individuals stretching out their hand to those with whom they have previously disagreed.

With this in mind, I took steps to make contact with senior figures in Hizbollah with a view to having a face-to-face meeting before I left the country. The first step was to track down one of my contacts from 25 years ago, Dr Adnan Mrouea. Dr Mrouea, who later became minister of health, was the person in whose apartment I first met the kidnappers of the Western hostages, and where I was promised safe conduct to visit them when they were allegedly sick and one, so it was said, was about to die. This promise was broken, not by the doctor, and I was taken hostage myself. Eventually, I found his mobile phone number and called him out of the blue. “Hello, Adnan,” I said. “This is Terry, Terry Waite.” Clearly, he was surprised at hearing me after so long. I asked him if we could meet sometime that day as I would be glad to see him again after so many years. It didn’t surprise me when he said that he was out of town and engaged throughout the day. I was sorry but not surprised.

I could tell from his tone of voice that he was not comfortable, and I did my best to put him at ease by saying that the past was the past and whatever had happened all those years ago, I felt no bitterness towards him. To this day, I don’t know how much he knew about my impending kidnap, but it was over and forgotten as far as I was concerned. I wished him well for the future and concluded by saying that I hoped one day we might meet face to face. Later in the day, I drove to his apartment, the very place where, years ago, I had walked down the marble steps, climbed into a waiting car and had been driven not to see ailing hostages as I hoped but to be confined to an underground cell. My mind went back across the years to a dark, rainy night when I left my car and driver at the end of the street and walked the final 500 yards to the doctor’s apartment. Then there was little or no traffic on the streets as civil war was raging and it was dangerous to be out after dark. It was exactly as I remembered it. Throughout the day, using various contacts, I attempted to get an invitation to visit Hizbollah.

Dusk fell and there was nothing. Although I was beginning to wonder if I would get to see them before leaving the next morning, I was not entirely without hope as I knew that they often chose to meet under the cover of darkness, deep within their own territory. Beirut, situated as it is on the Mediterranean, has some of the most wonderful sunsets, and I sat for a while taking in the natural beauty and thinking how sad it was that this whole region had suffered so much across the years. The Lebanese were kindly and hospitable people at heart who had so frequently been pushed and pulled in all directions by political and religious forces. Would their turmoil never end? Then the call came. “You have a meeting with a senior official from Hizbollah at 10.30 tonight.” I had something light to eat and then prepared for the drive down to the southern suburbs. Hizbollah’s former administrative headquarters had been razed to the ground some years ago in an Israeli attack, and now they had wisely distributed their offices in different locations. We drove into a small compound and eventually a young man came to raise a barrier to allow us to drive in. I squeezed into a small lift and ascended several floors.

I was guided along a small corridor and into a meeting room where it was indicated that I should sit. I didn’t feel at all nervous. My encounters in the past had long lost any negative power they had over me, and I was determined to do what I could to make an individual act of reconciliation. As I said earlier, reconciliation between larger groups has to be made up of a thousand smaller acts of reconciliation. After a few moments, Ammar Moussawi came into the room dressed neatly in a brown jacket, brown trousers and shoes. He was walking with a slight limp. I learned later that he had been wounded in one of the many conflicts that have been part of Lebanon’s heritage. Although I felt perfectly at ease, I could see that he was, quite understandably, a little anxious. No doubt he was curious at what I was going to say. I spoke without notes and started by saying that there were three points I wanted to make. First, that the past was the past. Although I had had my difficulties with Hizbollah, I had no hard feelings.

Second, my sufferings were nothing compared to the sufferings so many people from all communities in Lebanon had suffered in the past, and thirdly I believed that reconciliation between all groups within the country was the only way forward. I applauded the new spirit of co-operation that existed between the majority of Christian communities and Hizbollah, and I said that I would like to see that co-operation extended to encompass all people throughout the country. I further said that Hizbollah continued to have a very negative image in the West, and I hoped this would improve. For my part I would do what I could to change attitudes. The way forward was clearly not their way of violence, but of peace and reconciliation. The so-called Arab Spring had become a force of oppression not of freedom, and one now saw chaos in Egypt, Libya and Syria. That chaos must not extend to Lebanon, for if it did, that would bring disaster to the whole region. Hizbollah had a vital role in working for and holding the peace. I expressed my concern for the Christian groups who were leaving Syria and asked if Hizbollah would make a gesture towards helping them, especially at Christmas.

I said that a positive gesture from Hizbollah would be one step in cementing the agreement and a step toward changing the negative image of Hizbollah that existed in many parts of the world. When Mr Moussawi replied, he was in a more relaxed frame of mind. First, he denied that Hizbollah was responsible for my suffering. I did not challenge this as I felt it would lead to a pointless argument, and the kidnapping was far in the past now. All I could say was that Hizbollah, like so many other groups of its kind, had grown and developed tremendously in the years since my captivity, and that we must look forward, not backwards. He said that Hizbollah would not take up arms except to defend itself, especially against Israel. As for the Christian refugees, he asked me to let him have a proposal and he would see if something could be done. By now, almost two hours had passed, and the atmosphere had relaxed considerably. He invited me to return to Lebanon when I would be able to meet other people from Hizbollah, an invitation I said that I would be happy to accept.

I left Lebanon early the next morning for London, having, I felt, taken a few steps forward, both personally and on behalf of others. Lebanon is once again standing on the brink. The waters of conflict lap closer and closer, and it is vital for the country and for the whole region to hold together in peace. Old grudges and conflicts need to be confined to the past, and all groups within the country need to be encouraged and supported to move forward together. From the Christian perspective, Lebanon is rapidly becoming the only country in the entire Middle East where there remains a significant Christian presence. It was the late Pope John Paul II who said: “Lebanon is more than a country. It is a message of freedom and an example of pluralism for East and West.” All men and women can pray that will be true but it requires more than prayer. It requires a change of heart, a change of attitude and political courage. I wonder if we shall be able to rise to the challenge. The making of Hizbollah Hizbollah, meaning the Party of God, was formed in 1982 as a resistance movement when Israel invaded Lebanon.

It began as a small, paramilitary group of Shia Muslims, but has since grown into a mainstream political party, led for the last 20 years by Hassan Nasrallah, who is rarely seen in public for fear of assassination. Its heartland is the Shia communities of southern Lebanon, but its headquarters is an undisclosed location in southern Beirut. Hizbollah is backed and armed by Iran, and publicly declares its devotion to Ayatollah Khomeini (right). The party’s military arm is listed as a terrorist organisation by the UK and several other countries. The US says its political wing is also a terrorist organisation. Hizbollah was implicated in the 1983 suicide bombing of an American Marine barracks in Lebanon that killed 241 American military personnel. In 2005, the then Sunni prime minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated in a car bomb in Beirut, which was widely blamed on Syria’s Assad regime using Hizbollah to carry out its orders. However, its political wing still went on to form an unusual alliance that year, joining Christian and secular parties to form a grouping that, in 2011, formed a coalition government.

Hizbollah currently holds 12 of the 128 seats in the Lebanese parliament, as well as having two ministers in the cabinet. Its place in government has not stopped its hatred of Israel or gained it the one thing it apparently hankers after – full recognition as a political party that would grant dialogue with countries including Britain. Lebanon’s timeline of kidnapped Westerners Between 1982 and 1992, nowhere was more notorious for kidnappings than Lebanon. » In all, 96 Westerners were kidnapped by groups, including the Islamic Jihad Organisation and Hizbollah, angry at the involvement of foreign forces in Lebanon; Israel had invaded in 1982, and before the 1983 bombing of US barracks, there was a substantial American peacekeeping operation. » Among the most infamous kidnappings was that of William Buckley, the CIA bureau chief in Beirut. He was snatched on his way to work in an attack Washington blamed on Hizbollah. Buckley was tortured for 15 months before being killed in 1985. » The longest-held was American Terry Anderson of the Associated Press news agency.

He was captured either by Hizbollah or Islamic Jihad in March 1985 and not released until December 1991. » Britons in particular were a high-profile and high-value target for Hizbollah, including John McCarthy, the journalist, seized in April 1986. He spent five years in captivity, sharing his cell with Belfast-born Brian Keenan, who was working as a teacher in Beirut when he was bundled into the back of a car by armed gunmen. » The spate of abductions brought Terry Waite to Beirut, working as special envoy of the Archbishop of Canterbury to secure the release of kidnap victims. » There was international opprobrium when he himself was kidnapped in 1987. Waite spent almost five years in captivity, mostly in solitary confinement. He was chained, regularly beaten and subjected to a mock execution. He was released as the hostage crisis slowly was drawing to an end. McCarthy and Keenan were already free when, on November 18, 1991, Waite arrived, safe, thin and grey but otherwise physically well, in Damascus.

Featured Articles about John Mccarthy - Page 2 - latimes FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT JOHN MCCARTHY - PAGE 2 NEWS Waite's Family Comforted by Ex-Hostage August 22, 1991 | From Times Wire Services Relatives of Terry Waite said Wednesday that they were "comforted by the good news" they received from freed British hostage John McCarthy, who was held captive with Waite in Lebanon. In a related development, Shiite Muslim sources in Beirut said Wednesday that top Hezbollah and Iranian leaders in Tehran were discussing steps that could restart stalled U.N.-sponsored efforts to exchange Western hostages in Lebanon for Arab prisoners in Israel. Advertisement NEWS Another Release for Britain's McCarthy : Transition: The former hostage ends his recuperation at base. He pays tribute to his companions still held in Lebanon. August 18, 1991 | From Times Wire Services Freed British hostage John McCarthy on Saturday paid tribute to his former fellow prisoners in Lebanon, then left the British air base where he spent eight days recovering after more than five years in captivity.

"My greatest hope is to continue our friendship in freedom together," the 34-year-old TV producer said in a farewell before leaving the Royal Air Force base at Lyneham. "I hope (it) will be soon." NEWS Hopes of Freeing 2nd Captive Fade : Hostages: U.N. chief and White House still profess optimism for release of Westerners. But Perez de Cuellar says kidnaping of French citizen is one more roadblock. August 10, 1991 | STANLEY MEISLER and WILLIAM TUOHY, TIMES STAFF WRITERS U.N. Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar and the White House still professed optimism Friday, but a mood of foreboding took hold as a full day went by without the release of a second hostage from the fundamentalist Islamic kidnapers in Lebanon. NEWS NEWS ANALYSIS : Rapid Change Creating Mideast Power Shift : Politics: Hostage's freedom reflects the new order. But other events underscore the opposition to it.

August 9, 1991 | ROBIN WRIGHT, TIMES STAFF WRITER The release of British hostage John McCarthy in Beirut on Thursday was the result of kaleidoscopic political changes in the Middle East over the last year that are creating a new balance of power. But the reported abduction hours later of a French national in Lebanon and the assassination less than a day earlier of Iranian opposition leader Shahpour Bakhtiar in Paris underscore the volatility of that new order and the opposition to it, according to U.S. officials and Middle East analysts. NEWS British Hostage Freed; American May Follow : Lebanon: Journalist McCarthy carries secret letter from Islamic captors for U.N. leader. A French volunteer worker is reported kidnaped. August 9, 1991 | STANLEY MEISLER and WILLIAM TUOHY, TIMES STAFF WRITERS Islamic Jihad released British television newsman John McCarthy after more than five years of captivity Thursday, charging him to deliver a secret letter to U.N. Secretary General Javier Perez de Cuellar with proposals for an end to the cruel chapter of Western hostages in Lebanon. The release of a second hostage, perhaps American journalist Terry A.

Anderson, who has spent more time under terrorist detention than any other Westerner, was widely expected. BUSINESS Malibu man to plead guilty to using Swiss bank to avoid U.S. taxes August 15, 2009 | Nathan Olivarez-Giles A nationwide crackdown on federal income tax evasion using secret Swiss bank accounts yielded an agreement from a Malibu businessman to plead guilty to hiding at least $1 million abroad. Businessman John McCarthy is the first tax dodger in California -- and the fourth nationwide -- to be prosecuted after Switzerland's largest bank, UBS AG, agreed to reveal the identities of U.S. customers. The IRS is seeking names of more than 52,000 U.S. residents who deposited money into secret accounts though agreements with both UBS and the Swiss government. SPORTS Cheating has always been part of boxing and MMA February 17, 2009 | Lance Pugmire Were boxer Antonio Margarito's fists of steel actually aided by concrete? Did Ultimate Fighting Champion Georges St-Pierre defend his title bout with enough Vaseline so that he was as slippery as a greased pig?

Fighting lore is sprinkled with colorful tales of questionable gamesmanship, yet even in this age of high-definition cameras and intense state testing, athletes are still swayed to sometimes bend the rules. NEWS Mother of British Hostage Dies, Her Wish Unfulfilled July 9, 1989 | From Reuters The mother of British hostage John McCarthy died of cancer Saturday without knowing whether her son, kidnaped in Lebanon more than three years ago, is alive. Sheila McCarthy, 66, died in a hospital in Cambridge, eastern England, a hospital spokesman said. John McCarthy, 32, a cameraman with Worldwide Television News, was kidnaped in Beirut in April, 1986. He is one of 15 foreigners missing in Lebanon. Nine are Americans. OPINION Follow the money, if you can September 28, 2006 Here's a quiz question. A Sept. 23 Times article, "Army Corps Faked Budget Entries," begins: "The Army Corps of Engineers improperly created fake entries in government ledgers to maintain control over hundreds of millions of dollars in spending for the reconstruction of _______________." The name in the blank should be: a. New Orleans b.

Iraq c. the Republican Party d. classified to protect national security. Your guess is as good as mine. DAVID DATZ Altadena Mystery solved! NEWS Friends Mark Birthday of British Hostage November 28, 1989 | Associated Press Friends of British journalist John McCarthy, who is held hostage in Lebanon, marked his 33rd birthday Monday with a demonstration at the Foreign Office, demanding it do more for his release. McCarthy, a Worldwide Television News cameraman, was kidnaped April 17, 1986, as he drove to Beirut airport to fly home after 32 days in Lebanon. No group has claimed responsibility for his abduction. THE HOSTAGE DRAMA - British Hostage Goes Home To Fanfare and Adjustments - NYTimes.com THE HOSTAGE DRAMA; British Hostage Goes Home To Fanfare and Adjustments By STEVE LOHR, Published: August 9, 1991 LONDON, Aug. 8— After 1,942 days as a hostage, the television journalist John McCarthy returned to Britain tonight, ferried home aboard a special Royal Air Force jet, accompanied by doctors and diplomats, as a bigger story than any he had ever covered.

The nation joyfully marked his release with the peal of church bells and the pop of champagne corks, as friends and relatives celebrated. His friend, Jill Morrell, whose tireless campaign for his freedom ranged from prodding the British Government to meeting with Yasir Arafat, said she was "ecstatic." Prime Minister John Major said he was "delighted." And Mr. McCarthy's employers announced that his back pay amounted to $257,000. But even amid the celebrations, there were inklings of the difficult adjustments he may face after five years in captivity. Patrick McCarthy, who was flown to Damascus to meet his 34-year-old son, informed him for the first time that his mother had died of cancer two years ago. Terry Waite Seen Alive British officials were particularly encouraged by Mr. McCarthy's comment today that he had seen Terry Waite, a British hostage who disappeared in Lebanon in 1987, in "good health and good spirits" just two days ago. He said the same about two American hostages, Terry A. Anderson and Thomas M. Sutherland. Mr. McCarthy is the first person to report seeing Mr. Waite alive since he was taken captive on Jan.

20, 1987. An Irish hostage, Brian Keenan, said when he was released in August 1990 that he believed Mr. Waite was alive, but that he had not seen him. Mr. Waite was an emissary for the Archbishop of Canterbury who specialized in negotiating for the release of Middle East hostages. Mr. McCarthy, in a brief interview with Syrian television, said that Mr. Waite had been "very sick" with asthma earlier, but that he had received treatment and had recovered. 'Chained to a Bloody Wall' "We are obviously overjoyed as a family to hear that Terry is alive and well," David Waite, the brother of the hostage, told British television. "We look forward to the release of Terry and the other hostages with renewed hope." British officials were also heartened by Mr. McCarthy's healthy appearance, taking it as an indication that conditions for at least some of the 11 remaining Western hostages had improved recently. In Damascus, Mr. McCarthy said, "Our living conditions recently were tolerable and you could call them good." When Mr. Keenan, who was Mr. McCarthy's cellmate, was released a year ago, he said Mr.

McCarthy was well but "still chained to a bloody wall." Today, a British diplomat said: "We were surprised by how fit John McCarthy looked. It would seem that conditions are much better than when Brian Keenan was released." First Overseas Assignment Britain has recently mended its relations with Iran and Syria, the two powers with the greatest influence over the militants who hold hostages. And the plight of the British hostages in Lebanon -- now only Mr. Waite and Jack Mann, a retired pilot who lived in Lebanon for more than 40 years -- was one reason for the renewed contacts. On Sept. 27, 1990, Britain resumed partial diplomatic ties with Iran and, on Nov. 28, 1990, London resumed diplomatic relations with Syria after four years. Mr. McCarthy was held by the Islamic Holy War, a pro-Iranian group. Mr. McCarthy was kidnapped on his first overseas assignment. He was filling in for the Beirut bureau chief of Worldwide Television News, the overseas arm of Britain's independent television news operation. He had been in Lebanon just five weeks when, after the American bombing of Libya, he was ordered back to London for his own safety.

On his way to the Beirut airport on April 17, 1986, Mr. McCarthy was taken hostage. Ms. Morrell had taken the day off from her job at Worldwide Television News to meet him at Heathrow Airport when he returned. For the last five years, she has campaigned for his release. At times, she criticized the British Government of doing too little, declaring in 1988, for example, that the British hostages were being left "to rot." The first accounts of Mr. McCarthy's living conditions as a hostage came from Frank Reed, an American, who was freed in May 1990. He said Mr. McCarthy and Mr. Keenan were kept in tiny, mosquito-ridden cells and chained up for all but an hour a day. When Mr. Keenan was freed, he described how the two men used their free time to do push-ups and sit-ups. They also read whatever books their guards might provide, ranging from paperback novels to the volumes K through Z of an American encyclopedia set. Mr. McCarthy's family and friends were delighted that he seemed so physically fit and mentally sharp today, when they watched television reports from Damascus.

"He looked so well -- just like he did when he went away," Ms. Morrell said. "It's amazing. That was John as we know him." Saving the Celebration Ms. Morrell and Mr. McCarthy were a couple for three years, and before he was kidnapped, they had planned to buy a house together. After years apart, she has acknowledged that picking up a life together again might be impossible. A couple of years ago, she began referring to herself as Mr. McCarthy's "friend," not his "girlfriend." But she was out at the R.A.F. base in Wiltshire, 90 miles west of London, where Mr. McCarthy's plane arrived at 10:30 P.M. He walked down the stairs from the plane, waved to the crowd, and got into a car headed to his "V.I.P." suite on the base. Mr. McCarthy, who lived in London, will stay at the R.A.F. base overnight and receive additional medical tests at the military hospital there. "We will save up the celebration for when we have got time together, be together and really let it sink in," Ms. Morrell said.

"Then we can really let go." Photo: After the announcement of the release of the hostage John McCarthy, some of his friends celebrated in London, including Jill Morrell, center,a close friend who campaigned for his freedom. (Associated Press) (pg. A8) Graphic: "Still Missing" John McCarthy, a British television journalist, was released yesterday by Islamic Holy War, the group that had held him captive in Lebanon since April 17, 1986. A group calling itself the Organization for the Defense of the Prisoners' Rights said yesterday that it had kidnapped a Frenchman, Jerome Leyraud, 25, a representative of Doctors of the World, a medical organization based in Paris. There were 11 other people missing in Lebanon, including six Americans. AMERICANS HELD BY ISLAMIC HOLY WAR Terry A. Anderson -- 43; chief Middle East correspondent of The Associated Press; missing since March 16, 1985. Thomas M. Sutherland -- 60; acting dean of agriculture at the American University of Beirut; missing since June 9, 1985.

HELD BY THE REVOLUTIONARY JUSTICE ORGANIZATION Joseph James Cicippio -- 60; acting controller of the American University of Beirut; missing since Sept. 12,1986. Edward Austin Tracy -- 60; author and book salesman; missing since Oct. 21, 1986. HELD BYISLAMIC HOLY WAR FOR THELIBERATION OF PALESTINE Alann Steen -- 52; journalism instructor at Beirut University College; missing since Jan. 24, 1987. Jesse Turner -- 44; Professor of mathematics and computer science at Beirut University College; missing since Jan. 24, 1987. OTHERS Terry Waite -- 52; British envoy of the Anglican Church; missing since Jan. 20, 1987; held by Islamic Holy War. Alberto Molinari -- 71; Italian businessman who lived in Beirut; missing since Sept. 11, 1985; captors unknown. Jack Mann -- 77; Briton missing since May 12, 1989; held by Cells of Armed Struggle.

Heinrich Strubig -- 50; German relief worker; missing since May 16, 1989; captors unknown. Thomas Kemptner -- 29; German relief worker; missing since May 16, 1989; captors unknown Alec Collett, a British journalist, kidnapped March 25, 1985, is missing also, but is believed to have been killed by the Revolutionary Association of Socialist Moslems. (Source: Associated Press) (pg. A8) Return to hell: Former hostage Terry Waite goes back to Beirut - Mirror Online News Return to hell: Former hostage Terry Waite goes back to Beirut In the spirit of forgiveness, he has returned to the Lebanon ghetto where he was chained to a radiator and kept captive for nearly five years Share Return: Terry Waite in 1991 (Photo: Mirrorpix) Share Get politics updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email He was on a Christian mission to help free hostages held by Islamic extremists when he too fell into their clutches and was tortured.

But in the spirit of forgiveness, Terry Waite has now returned to the Lebanon ghetto where he was chained to a radiator and kept captive for nearly five years by a gang linked to Hezbollah. The 73-year-old travelled back to Beirut 25 years after his capture to hold “reconciliation” talks with Ammar Moussawi, a senior figure with the militant group, to help Christians fleeing civil war in neighbouring Syria. Mr Waite – then the Archbishop of Canterbury’s special envoy – was seized in 1987, kept in solitary confinement and beaten on the soles of his feet with cables. On his return last week he admitted the British people would think him “crazy” for going back. But he told Mr Moussawi: “The past is the past.” And he added: “I believe that reconciliation between larger groups, political groups, has to begin here with our own personal reconciliation.” They met at a secret location in a Hezbollah stronghold in the capital Beirut’s southern suburbs where he had been held. Hezbollah is regarded by many as a terrorist organisation but he asked the group to help Christian refugees in the run-up to Christmas.

He said: “Hezbollah has a ­negative image in the West and there are those who’ll accuse me of consorting with terrorists. I would remind them that Hezbollah has grown into a fully-fledged political party with seats in Lebanon’s parliament and is in a unique ­position to work for peace in the region.” He was seized in January 1987 as he tried to secure the release of Western hostages including journalist John McCarthy. Mr Waite’s family did not know whether he was dead or alive for four years until fellow hostage Brian Keenan was freed. Mr Waite was eventually let go by his captors in November 1991. Mr McCarthy had been released three months earlier after more than five years in captivity. He had shared a cell with Irish teacher Mr Keenan who was held for four and a half years. Both have since visited Beirut.

Like us on Facebook Most Read Most Recent Most Read Most Recent Terry Waite and Hizbollah: the making of the 'Party of God' - Telegraph Lebanon Terry Waite and Hizbollah: the making of the 'Party of God' Terry Waite, who was kidnapped in Lebanon and held for five years during the country's bloody civil war, has gone back to the country to meet his captors after 25 years. Follow Waite was captured while in Lebanon on a mission as the special envoy to the Anglican Church to rescue hostages being held by Shia militia groups. On 20 January 1987 he agreed to meet with the kidnappers to help secure their release, however the group broke their agreement and took him hostage and held for the next five years. Lebanon's hostage crisis In all 96 Westerners were kidnapped by groups including the Islamic Jihad Organisation and Hizbollah, angry at the involvement of foreign forces in Lebanon; Israel had invaded in 1982, and before the 1983 bombing of US barracks, there was a substantial American peacekeeping operation. Two Americans were among the most infamous cases.

William Buckley, the CIA bureau chief in Beirut, was kidnapped as he left his apartment on his way to work in an attack Washington blamed on Hizbollah. Buckley was tortured for 15 months before being killed in 1985. His remains were finally found in a plastic bag on the side of the road to the Beirut airport in 1991. Related Articles 10 Dec 2012 However his poltical status was rare among the hostages, most simply being targets because they were westerners. The longest-held was American Terry Anderson, chief Middle East correspondent for the Associated Press news agency. He was captured - either by Hizbollah or Islamic Jihad - after finishing a tennis match in Beirut. He was taken in March 1985, before finally being released in December 1991, while the second longest-held was Scottish-born American Thomas Sutherland, who spent 2,353 days - more than six years - in capacity. Britons in particular were a high-profile and high-value target for Hizbollah, including John McCarthy, the journalist, seized in April 1986 as he covered the civil war. McCarthy spent five years in captivity.

He was said to have been kidnapped by the Islamic Jihad as a reprisal for the 1986 American air raid on Libya. His fiancee, Jill Morrell, campaigned tirelessly for his release. He shared his cell with Brian Keenan, Belfast-born but carrying an Irish passport, who was working as a teacher in Beirut when he was bundled into the back of a car by armed gunmen. The multiple kidnappings were what brought Terry Waite to Beirut, as special envoy from the Archbishop of Canterbury, working to secure the release of kidnap victims, with his successes including Americans Lawrence Jenco and David Jacobsen, freed in 1985. There was international opprobrium when he himself was kidnapped while negotiating in 1987. He spent almost five years in captivity, nearly four years of it in solitary confinement. He was chained, regularly beaten and subjected to a mock execution. His release finally came, along with Sutherland, as the hostage crisis slowly came to an end. McCarthy and Keenan were already free when on 18 November 1991 Waite arrived, safe, thin and grey but otherwise physically well in Damascus.

'’The prayers of so many people have been answered today and we thank God for news of his release,’’ said Dr George Carey, the Archbishop of Canterbury. But who are Hizbollah? Hizbollah, meaning the Party of God, was formed as a resistance movement when Israel invaded Lebanon in 1982,a time when the country was locked in civil war. Hizbollah began as a small, paramilitary group of Shia Muslims, but has since grown into a mainstream political party led for the last 20 years by Hassan Nasrallah, who is rarely seen in public for fear of assassination. Its heartland is the Shia communities of southern Lebanon, but its headquarters is an undisclosed location in southern Beirut. The reason it is so controversial is that it is backed and armed by Iran; its publicly declares its devotion to the Iranian revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomenei. The party has two wings: the political arm and the military arm, which is listed as a terrorist organisation by the UK and several other countries. The United States says its political wing is also a terrorist organisation.

Hizbollah was implicated in the 1983 suicide bombing of an American Marine barracks in Lebanon that killed 241 American military personnel as well as the hijacking of a Trans World Airlines flight from Athens to Rome in 1985. In 2005, the then Sunni prime minister Rafik Hariri was assassinated in a car bomb in Beirut, which was widely blamed on Syria’s Assad regime using Hezbollah to carry out its orders. However its political wing was not stopped from an apparently unusual alliance: that year it joined Christian and secular parties to form a coalition, andin 2011 the grouping formed a government. Hezbollah currently holds 12 of the 128 seats in the Lebanese parliament as well as having two ministers in the cabinet. Its place in government has not stopped its hatred of Israel or gained it the one thing it apparently hankers after - full recognition as a political party giving it dialogue with countries including Britain. Between 1982 and 1992 there was nowhere more notorious for kidnappings than Lebanon. During its bloody civil war a series of Westerners were taken hostage - some briefly, others for years.

Articles about Terry Waite by Date - Page 2 - latimes ARTICLES ABOUT TERRY WAITE BY DATE - PAGE 2 NEWS Waite Story Larger Than Hostage Role : Diplomacy: Experts think church envoy, both altruist and self-promoter, was linked to Iran-Contra scandal. November 19, 1991 | ROBIN WRIGHT, TIMES STAFF WRITER The release Monday of Terry Waite, the negotiator turned hostage, from 1,763 days of Lebanese captivity brings an end to Beirut's most notorious political kidnaping. Other hostages have been held longer--most notably Terry A. Anderson, chief Middle East correspondent for the Associated Press, who has been held captive for six years and eight months. But none was better known worldwide than Waite, the Archbishop of Canterbury's envoy who disappeared into Beirut's labyrinth on Jan. Advertisement NEWS Kidnapers Free Church Envoy Waite and American Professor : Hostage crisis: The breakthrough comes amid reports that Muslims have pledged to release the three remaining U.S. men held in Lebanon by the end of the month.

November 19, 1991 | KIM MURPHY, TIMES STAFF WRITER Terry Waite, the British church envoy who disappeared into Lebanon's opaque underworld while working to free two American hostages, was released Monday along with U.S. hostage Thomas M. Sutherland after both had been captives for years. The release, the most significant breakthrough in the nearly decade-old hostage crisis, came amid reports that Shiite Muslim kidnapers have pledged to free the three remaining American hostages by the month's end, perhaps beginning within the next five days. NEWS Mourning Family Gets Good News at Last : Reaction: Sutherland's father-in-law died in Iowa two days before the long-awaited release. He had served as spokesman for the relatives. November 19, 1991 | SAM FULWOOD III, TIMES STAFF WRITER Friends, family members and government officials greeted Monday's release of hostages Thomas M. Sutherland and Terry Waite with restraint, their obvious joy tempered by the caution bred by previous false alarms and of circumstances surrounding the newfound freedom for the American college professor and the Anglican cleric.

The Sutherland family, for example, was mourning the death of the Scottish-born professor's father-in-law, William Murray, when they learned of the release. NEWS Arrival of U.N. Negotiator Raises Hopes for Hostages : Middle East: A Tehran newspaper dispatch reports that two Western captives, an American and a Briton, will be released soon. November 17, 1991 | NICK B. WILLIAMS Jr., TIMES STAFF WRITER New movement on the Beirut hostage crisis was foreshadowed Saturday by the reported arrival of a key United Nations negotiator in Damascus, Syria, and an Iranian press dispatch saying that two Western captives, an American and a Briton, would be released soon. The report in today's editions of the Tehran Times said the releases would be made "on humanitarian grounds" and that the kidnapers would "most probably give priority to a British hostage." It did not speculate on the timing. NEWS Kidnapers Videotape Anderson, Who Urges Talks to Free All Hostages October 7, 1991 | NICK B. WILLIAMS Jr.

and MARILYN RASCHKA, SPECIAL TO THE TIMES American journalist Terry Anderson, the longest-held Western hostage in Beirut, in a videotape released Sunday called on all sides to press negotiations for an overall hostage release. "This is no longer the time for bargaining," he said. According to an Associated Press report from Damascus, Syria, the tape was obtained by Cable News Network. Ed Turner, executive vice president of CNN in Atlanta, said the network got the tape from a Lebanese production company and that it had been made Sunday. NEWS Waite's Family Comforted by Ex-Hostage August 22, 1991 | From Times Wire Services Relatives of Terry Waite said Wednesday that they were "comforted by the good news" they received from freed British hostage John McCarthy, who was held captive with Waite in Lebanon. In a related development, Shiite Muslim sources in Beirut said Wednesday that top Hezbollah and Iranian leaders in Tehran were discussing steps that could restart stalled U.N.-sponsored efforts to exchange Western hostages in Lebanon for Arab prisoners in Israel. NEWS Treatment of Captives in Lebanon Has Improved, Those Just Freed Say : Conditions: Experts say the captors would have little to gain by continuing to treat hostages badly.

August 13, 1991 | PAUL RICHTER, TIMES STAFF WRITER Morning tea. Radio shows and occasional videos. Enough--or even too much--to eat. While uncertainty still clouds the future of American hostages in the hands of Muslim fundamentalists, reports from released hostages John McCarthy and Edward A. Tracy provide assurance that treatment of the captives is better than it once was. NEWS THE HOSTAGE DRAMA : Still Waiting for Freedom August 12, 1991 Terry A. Anderson * Chief Mideast correspondent for Associated Press * Born Oct. 27, 1947, in Lorain, Ohio. He was kidnaped by the Islamic Jihad on March, 16, 1985, after a morning tennis game in Beirut and has had the longest captivity of any of the American hostages held in Lebanon. Thomas M. Sutherland *zActing dean of agriculture at American University in Beirut * Born May 3, 1931, in Glasgow, Scotland, and an American citizen. He was on leave from Colorado State University.

NEWS Relatives Pinning Their Hopes on 'Joe' : Families: Even Terry Anderson's sister says that, if only one American is freed, it should be Cicippio. August 11, 1991 | MARLENE CIMONS, TIMES STAFF WRITER As hopes rose Saturday for the imminent release of American hostage Joseph J. Cicippio, the sister of Terry A. Anderson, the longest-held American in Beirut, said she and other hostage families feel that if only one captive is to be freed, "(we) would want it to be Joe." NEWS * John Lyttle; Archbishop's Aide Sought Release of Terry Waite May 1, 1991 John Lyttle, 58, the archbishop of Canterbury's public affairs secretary and a leader in efforts to free hostage Terry Waite. Lyttle took his post as press aide to the Most Rev. Robert Runcie the day after Waite disappeared in Beirut in January, 1987, while trying to negotiate the release of Western hostages. Waite, a church envoy, and the other 12 Western hostages in Lebanon are believed held by pro-Iranian extremists.

Runcie retired and was succeeded by the Most Rev. George Carey on March 27. BBC World Service | FAQ | Lebanon hostages released Lebanon hostages released Waite heard a BBC programme about himself whilst in captivity In the 1980s, Beirut, the capital of Lebanon, was arguably the most dangerous city in the world. As civil war engulfed the country, Westerners were at constant risk of being kidnapped and held hostage. Among them were a Belfast-born lecturer at the American University of Beirut, Brian Keenan, and a television journalist John McCarthy. Both were captured by the militant Islamic Jihad group called Islamic Dawn in April 1986. Solitary confinement In the efforts to negotiate the release of these and other hostages, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s envoy Terry Waite went to Beirut. In February 1987, he too was taken. At first nobody knew where Waite had gone, and there were fears he had been killed. A group of journalists was even taken to a spot where they were told he had been buried. In fact Waite was being held in solitary confinement in Beirut, tortured and even made to undergo a mock execution.

For four of the five years he was held, he was kept in solitary confinement, often blindfolded and chained to a radiator. Radio through the wall Eventually he realised he was being kept in the same building as other hostages. Using a primitive form of code he found out that his neighbours included John McCarthy and Brian Keenan, who had also undergone torture and other forms of harsh treatment. Terry Waite takes up the story: "I was in solitary confinement and I used to communicate with hostages in the cell next door by tapping on the wall in code," Waite said. "You can't use Morse code on a wall because you can't differentiate between a dot and a dash, but you can use the laborious code of one for A, two for B, three for C. John Waite, Terry Waite’s cousin, was and a World Service presenter "It was then that I regretted my name was Terry Waite, because it's a long way down the alphabet when you want to communicate your name. "However, I communicated with them, they had a radio and for about nine months I depended on the news being tapped through the wall. In the last six months my captors relented and I was given a small radio.

"I listened to the BBC World Service constantly and I was enormously grateful, particularly for the fact that at the time they were broadcasting virtually 24 hours-a-day to the Middle East. "I heard my cousin John broadcasting on Outlook and that meant a great deal to me because John, in a subtle way, got me news from my family. "He also broadcast on my birthday and played a piece of Bach's organ music for me as a gift from the family. "It was a great source of hope and comfort to me, that something was getting through to me from my family." Messages from Meridian The messages from the other room included cricket scores tapped out by John McCarthy. He remembers how he listened to cricket commentaries on the World Service: “The sound of bat on ball from thousands of miles away was very, very haunting." John Waite, Terry Waite’s cousin and a World Service presenter, recalls how his family’s ordeal ended: "There was a new play opening in London about the hostage situation and the World Service arts programme Meridian asked if I would go along to see this play," says John Waite. "We did the recording - I made my comments and the programme was broadcast.

THE HOSTAGE DRAMA - BRITISH HOSTAGE IN BEIRUT FREED, BUT TERRORISTS VOW KILLINGS IF MORE ARE LET GO - NYTimes.com THE HOSTAGE DRAMA THE HOSTAGE DRAMA; BRITISH HOSTAGE IN BEIRUT FREED, BUT TERRORISTS VOW KILLINGS IF MORE ARE LET GO By PATRICK E. TYLER, Published: August 9, 1991 WASHINGTON, Aug. 8— A pro-Iranian militant group in Lebanon today released John McCarthy, a British citizen who had been held captive for five years. As diplomatic efforts to gain the release of other hostages were intensifying in many capitals, the 34-year-old television journalist brought with him a letter from his captors to the United Nations Secretary General, Javier Perez de Cuellar. He said he thought it contained the captors' proposals for freeing the 11 remaining Western hostages in Lebanon in exchange for prisoners being held in Israel. But the hopes that at least one more hostage, presumably an American, would quickly follow Mr.

McCarthy to freedom were set back when a murky and apparently new underground group announced that it had kidnapped a French medical worker living in Beirut and threatened to kill him if any more hostages are released. A French relief organization later confirmed that one of its employees was missing in the Lebanese capital. Report on Other Hostages In an emotional appearance in Damascus, Mr. McCarthy said three well-known fellow hostages -- Terry A. Anderson, Thomas M. Sutherland and Terry Waite -- were alive and in good health. Despite the report of another kidnapping, both President Bush and the United Nations Secretary General, Javier Perez de Cuellar, expressed some confidence that another hostage, an American, would be released soon. But it was unclear how disruptive the reported kidnapping by a previously unknown group would be. United States officials were monitoring the hostage situation through both high-level diplomatic contacts and what they declared were intelligence channels too sensitive to describe in any way. Several officials conveyed the impression that the United States was largely on the sidelines as events were unfolding. Kidnapping of Frenchman Bush Administration officials said they were offering nothing in return for the release of the hostages.

They said international diplomatic efforts were focused on promoting the deal the kidnappers say they want: to exchange Arab prisoners held by Israel for the release of the remaining 11 Western hostages and captured Israeli servicemen. The sudden report of a new kidnapping in Beirut today, the first in more than two years, caught Bush Administration officials off guard. Initial reports from news agencies in Beirut said an anonymous telephone caller claiming to represent the Organization for the Defense of the Prisoners' Rights declared that a Frenchman named Jerome Leyraud was abducted. The caller asserted that Mr. Leyraud was a French intelligence officer working undercover with a relief agency. French Defense Ministry officials denied this allegation. Doctors of the World, a French relief agency, cnfirmed that Mr. Leyraud, its administrator for Lebanon, had been missing from his home and office since mid-afternoon. The janitor at Leyraud's apartment building in west Beirut told the Reuters news agency that the 26-year-old Frenchman was last seen leaving the residential building at about 2:45 P.M. carrying a towel that indicated he was going swimming.

Underground Groups Lebanon's shadowy kidnappers identify themselves by a number of organizational names, with some of them loosely affiliated with the Party of God organization, which operates openly as one of the contending political factions in Lebanon. Party of God leaders deny that they are involved in holding hostages, but say they know the kidnappers and communicate with them. Among the known hostage holding organizations are: Islamic Holy War, which holds Mr. Anderson, Mr. Waite and Mr. Sutherland, the former agriculture dean of the American University of Beirut; Islamic Holy War for the Liberation of Palestine, which holds the Americans Alann Steen and Jesse Turner; the Revolutionary Justice Organization, which holds another American, Joseph J. Cicippio; the Organization of the Oppressed on Earth, which took responsibility for the killing of Lieut. Col. William R. Higgins in 1988; Holy Warriors for Freedom, which holds two German relief workers, and the Revolutionary Organization of Socialist Muslims, which said it killed the British journalist Alec Collett in April 1986. President Bush, vacationing in Kennebunkport, Maine, told reporters that he is still confident that an American hostage could be released.

"I think those that follow this most closely feel that it is likely an American will be released," Mr. Bush said, adding that he did not know the time frame for the next release. "The ball is not in our hands," he said, "and the evidence is not all that hard. We keep getting assurances through third parties, but that's not good enough for me." Asked whether he had information that Mr. Anderson, a 43-year-old correspondent for the Associated Press and the longest-held hostage, could be the next prisoner released, Mr. Bush said: "We don't know that. I think that's what the latest rumor had, that it would be Terry Anderson." Swiss in Intermediary Role United States officials were careful not to reveal the specific sources of their diplomatic exchanges and sensitive intelligence. But officials said the Swiss Government was playing an active role as an intermediary between Washington and the Iranian Government. The officials also indicated that Syria was pressing its efforts to free the hostages. This was apparent today in scenes from Damascus, where Syria's Foreign Ministry and state television took a prominent role in helping to manage Mr. McCarthy's release. 1

Question: From which middle east country were Terry Waite and John McCarthy released in 1991
Answer: Lebanon