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Harmeet Singh Sooden

Sooden among three hostages in broadcast

The video bore a February 28 date.

The four workers were last seen in a videotape aired by al-Jazeera on January 28 and dated January 21.

The latest broadcast showed three men sitting in chairs and speaking, although there was no sound.

The three – Mr Sooden, 32, fellow Canadian James Loney, 41, and Briton Norman Kember, 74 – appeared to be in good health.

The fourth hostage, American Tom Fox, 54, was missing from the footage.

One of those on the tape had white hair and a slight beard, the two others had dark hair and full beards.

"Three hostages in Iraq pleaded with Arab Gulf leaders to help free them and the hostages who call themselves the Christian Peacemaker Team pleaded with their governments to intervene for their release," said the Al-Jazeera news presenter as a short silent clip of the video received by the channel was shown.

In the January 28 broadcast the al-Jazeera newsreader said the hostage-takers issued a statement saying it was the "last chance" for US and Iraqi authorities to "release all Iraqi prisoners in return of freeing the hostages otherwise their fate will be death." No deadline was set.

The previously unknown Swords of Righteousness Brigades had claimed responsibility for the kidnapping.

Until Tuesday, there had been no further word on the fate of hostages.