Hostage credits Google with saving his life
20 October 2004
An Australian journalist kidnapped by militants in Iraq was reportedly freed after his captors looked up his identity on search engine Google.
John Martinkus was seized in Baghdad on Saturday, but his captors agreed to release him on Sunday after confirming his identity on Google to ensure he was not working for the CIA or a US contractor.
Mr Martinkus, who was in Iraq working for Australia's SBS Television, was the first Australian held hostage in Iraq since the US-led invasion.
SBS executive producer Mike Carey said: "They had thought he was working for the Americans as an informer. In this case, modern technology probably saved the journalist's life."
Mr Martinkus is a freelancer who has covered conflicts from East Timor to Iraq. He was snatched at gunpoint outside the al-Hamra Hotel, across the road from the Australian embassy in Baghdad. He reportedly made his way home to Australia on Tuesday.
The internet has become a popular tool for Iraqi militant groups.
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