Tuesday October 19:Margaret Hassan, a British-Iraqi national born in Ireland, was seized by gunmen on her way to work in western Baghdad at 7.30am. Mrs Hassan, 59, had lived in Iraq for 30 years and headed humanitarian group Care International's operations in the country.
Hours after the kidnapping, video footage of the hostage, her hands bound behind her back and looking "very distressed", was shown on Arab TV station Al-Jazeera. It reported that an unnamed "armed Iraqi group" said it had kidnapped her. British Foreign Secretary Mr Jack Straw said British diplomats in Baghdad were in touch with Care International about the case. Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair promised to do "whatever we can" to secure Mrs Hassan's release.
Wednesday October 20:Care International announced it had halted its operations in Iraq following the abduction and was doing all it could to secure Mrs Hassan's release. The charity worker's husband, Mr Tahseen Ali Hassan, a retired Iraqi economist, made an emotional appeal to the kidnappers to free her. Mr Blair and the Taoiseach Mr Bertie Ahern stressed that every effort possible was being made to free her. The Iraqi government condemned Mrs Hassan's kidnappers as despicable.
Thursday October 21:Former Australian prime minister and founder of Care Australia, Mr Malcolm Fraser, issued a joint statement with former Japanese prime minister Mr Kiichi Miyazawa, his co-chairman of the Inter-Action Council of former heads of government and heads of state, appealing for Mrs Hassan's release. The Australian government was willing to talk to the kidnappers, but would not offer to pay a ransom or change its Iraq policy, foreign minister Alexander Downer said. Mr Hassan made a second appeal to the kidnappers to free his wife. Colleagues of Mrs Hassan said they were hopeful she would be released and that an enormous amount of work was being undertaken on the ground in Iraq to try to secure her freedom. The Government and Palestinian Authority issued a joint appeal on her behalf.
Friday October 22:Al-Jazeera aired a new video of a weeping Mrs Hassan in which she pleaded with the British people to save her life. She said she did not want to die like Ken Bigley.
Saturday October 23:Care International's secretary-general, Denis Caillaux, made a plea for Mrs Hassan to be freed which was read on Al-Jazeera, but the appeal met with silence by her kidnappers.
Sunday October 24:The British Foreign Office refused to be drawn on a report in The Observer that British security officials were trying to find the intermediary who established contact with the captors of Briton Ken Bigley during his kidnap ordeal. The newspaper claimed they wanted to ascertain if she was being held by the group, controlled by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, which seized and eventually killed Mr Bigley. A Foreign Office spokesman reiterated that efforts were continuing on her behalf, saying: "We are working closely with the Iraqi authorities to secure Margaret's release."
Monday October 25:Deaf schoolchildren helped by Mrs Hassan joined 200 of her colleagues at a rally in Baghdad to call for her immediate release. Protesters gathered outside Care International's Baghdad headquarters, carrying pictures of the hostage and banners calling for the release of "Mama Margaret".
Wednesday October 27:Mrs Hassan was shown on a new videotape on Al-Jazeera pleading for Britain to withdraw its troops from Iraq. She also asked for the release of all female prisoners in Iraq and for Care International to close its offices in the country.
Thursday October 28:Care International announced it had closed down all its operations in Iraq and again pleaded for the release of the hostage.
Tuesday November 2:Mrs Hassan's kidnappers threatened to hand her over to al-Zarqawi if their demands were not met within 48 hours. The group made the warning in a shocking new video that also showed the aid worker in a terrible state pleading for her life. The footage was sent to Al-Jazeera, which declined to broadcast the images of Mrs Hassan on humanitarian grounds.