Mother of British Hostage Dies, Her Wish Unfulfilled
LONDON — 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.
Early last week the family had issued a statement in Beirut pleading with McCarthy’s kidnapers to set him free to allow a final reunion with his mother.
“I urge you in the name of mercy, for which Islam is known, to fulfill the wish of a dying woman who wants to see her son before she dies,” the family’s statement in Arabic said.
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