London: Two British hostages who died after being held by kidnappers in Iraq had been shot, a television channel reported on Tuesday.
The bodies of Jason Swindlehurst, 38, and Jason Creswell, 39, were handed over to the British embassy in Baghdad on June 19. According to the television channel, the coroners report concluded that the men had died from gunshot wounds.
The pair was among four guards protecting British computer consultant Peter Moore when around 40 heavily armed militants seized all five men in the Iraqi capital in May 2007.
Unconfirmed reports said they died some months ago, but the British authorities have as yet released no details of their deaths. The kidnappers have claimed that one of the men committed suicide.
A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office could not confirm the information, telling AFP, "It's an ongoing matter for the coroner."