luvdance
06-24-2005, 03:14 AM
Freed hostage 'in good spirits'
Mr Wood underwent medical tests at a US facility in Iraq
Freed Australian hostage Douglas Wood is in good spirits following his 47-day ordeal in Iraq, his family has said.
His brothers Malcolm and Vernon said the 63-year-old civil engineer had asked for a beer and for news of his favourite football team.
The US military said Iraqi officers had stumbled across Mr Wood during a weapons raid on a house in Baghdad.
An Iraqi spokesman said on Wednesday the rebels had claimed he was their father when he was discovered.
At an emotional news conference in the Australian capital, Canberra, Malcolm Wood told reporters: "Doug sounded remarkably composed.
He's an incredible man... I like him better with hair, but he looks great
Wife Yvonne
"He asked me whether the Geelong Cats [the football team from the southern city where he grew up] would win the premiership this year," Malcolm, 57, added.
Mr Wood had joked about disliking his latest haircut, referring to having had his head shaved by his captors.
And one of his first questions to Australia's counter-terrorism chief Nick Warner had apparently been whether he had any beer, the brothers said.
Vernon Wood said the family would honour a pledge to give a charitable donation to the Iraqi people.
"The family bears no animosity towards the people of Iraq and their patriotic spirit and their right to independence," he said.
At Mr Wood's home in California, his American wife Yvonne said she was overjoyed at the news of his release.
"He's an incredible man. Everybody loves Douglas... I like him better with hair, but he looks great," she said.
Pet dog question
Following Mr Wood's kidnapping in late April, his family publicly pleaded for his release, saying they feared for his health as he suffered from a range of illnesses, including heart disease and high blood pressure.
A group calling itself the Shura Council of the Mujahideen of Iraq claimed to have been behind the kidnapping.
Mr Wood's family are looking forward to being reunited with him
A video was released at the beginning of May showing a shaven-headed Mr Wood pleading for the withdrawal of Australian troops from Iraq.
In a statement on the family's website, Mr Wood's daughter Christina thanked the Australian authorities for doing "an outstanding job managing the crisis".
And she also thanked Australia's top Muslim cleric, Sheikh Taj el-Din al-Hilali, who travelled to Iraq to try to negotiate his release.
Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Sheikh Hilali played a "very prominent" role, but admitted all the details surrounding the release were "difficult to piece together".
"Obviously as time goes on we hope to get a more comprehensive picture," he told parliament.
According to the US military, Mr Wood was found along with an Iraqi hostage during the raid in the north-west Baghdad neighbourhood of Adel.
He was apparently asked to verify his identity by telling his liberators the name of his family pet dog from the 1950s, Monty.
Mr Wood underwent medical tests at a US facility in Iraq
Freed Australian hostage Douglas Wood is in good spirits following his 47-day ordeal in Iraq, his family has said.
His brothers Malcolm and Vernon said the 63-year-old civil engineer had asked for a beer and for news of his favourite football team.
The US military said Iraqi officers had stumbled across Mr Wood during a weapons raid on a house in Baghdad.
An Iraqi spokesman said on Wednesday the rebels had claimed he was their father when he was discovered.
At an emotional news conference in the Australian capital, Canberra, Malcolm Wood told reporters: "Doug sounded remarkably composed.
He's an incredible man... I like him better with hair, but he looks great
Wife Yvonne
"He asked me whether the Geelong Cats [the football team from the southern city where he grew up] would win the premiership this year," Malcolm, 57, added.
Mr Wood had joked about disliking his latest haircut, referring to having had his head shaved by his captors.
And one of his first questions to Australia's counter-terrorism chief Nick Warner had apparently been whether he had any beer, the brothers said.
Vernon Wood said the family would honour a pledge to give a charitable donation to the Iraqi people.
"The family bears no animosity towards the people of Iraq and their patriotic spirit and their right to independence," he said.
At Mr Wood's home in California, his American wife Yvonne said she was overjoyed at the news of his release.
"He's an incredible man. Everybody loves Douglas... I like him better with hair, but he looks great," she said.
Pet dog question
Following Mr Wood's kidnapping in late April, his family publicly pleaded for his release, saying they feared for his health as he suffered from a range of illnesses, including heart disease and high blood pressure.
A group calling itself the Shura Council of the Mujahideen of Iraq claimed to have been behind the kidnapping.
Mr Wood's family are looking forward to being reunited with him
A video was released at the beginning of May showing a shaven-headed Mr Wood pleading for the withdrawal of Australian troops from Iraq.
In a statement on the family's website, Mr Wood's daughter Christina thanked the Australian authorities for doing "an outstanding job managing the crisis".
And she also thanked Australia's top Muslim cleric, Sheikh Taj el-Din al-Hilali, who travelled to Iraq to try to negotiate his release.
Australia's Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said Sheikh Hilali played a "very prominent" role, but admitted all the details surrounding the release were "difficult to piece together".
"Obviously as time goes on we hope to get a more comprehensive picture," he told parliament.
According to the US military, Mr Wood was found along with an Iraqi hostage during the raid in the north-west Baghdad neighbourhood of Adel.
He was apparently asked to verify his identity by telling his liberators the name of his family pet dog from the 1950s, Monty.