Mr Bigley can claim Irish ancestry through his mother

Mr Bigley can claim Irish ancestry through his Dublin-born mother.

His family hope that by stressing his Irish connections, his kidnappers will be persuaded to release him.

Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern said he was happy to agree to the family's request and hoped "it will contribute to the efforts to secure his release".

Mr Bigley, a 62 year-old engineer from Liverpool, was taken hostage on 16 September by the hardline Tawhid and Jihad group, along with two American colleagues who were beheaded a few days later.

He was last seen alive in a video broadcast last week, pleading for Prime Minister Tony Blair to help him.

'Handover'

However, his brother Paul said on Tuesday he had heard that Ken had been handed over to a group who were preparing to make a ransom demand.

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Paul Bigley made the claims, which he says are "unofficial", while speaking to BBC radio Hereford and Worcester.

He said the process of freeing his brother would be made "a little easier" if the reports are accurate.

The Foreign Office said the rumour is understood to have first appeared in a Kuwaiti newspaper over the weekend.

Media reports in Kuwait claimed the fundamentalist group were considering selling the hostage to another militant group who would then demand a cash ransom.

The new group, who are more moderate, are said to be the same organisation that released two Italian women last week.