Police say a Christian man in a northern Iraqi city has been kidnapped and is being held for a $100,000 ransom.
Kirkuk deputy police chief Maj. Gen. Torhan Abdul—Rahman said the victim is a construction worker who did not come home from work on Friday night. When officials called his mobile phone on Saturday, the kidnappers answered and demanded the money.
Parliament lawmaker Imad Yohanna, a Christian from Kirkuk, said the man was kidnapped because he is Christian. Mr. Yohanna said Christians are seen as easy targets because they usually pay ransom without a fight, as opposed to Arabs whose tribes generally attack to free the victim.
Maj. Gen. Abdul—Rahman said 43 people from different ethnic groups have been kidnapped in Kirkuk this year.
