Rifat Mohammed Rifat

Rifat Mohammed Rifat is an Iraqi born Canadian citizen who was last seen in Iraq on April 8, 2004, and confirmed by the Canadian government to have been taken hostage there.

Rifat was a construction foreman for a Kellogg Brown & Root subcontractor. 41, he returned to Iraq in February after 24 years in Toronto, was heading home to care for his aging mother. He never made it. Somewhere in the night, his family believes, kidnappers stopped his vehicle and spirited him away. His green Jeep was sold in Baghdad and the buyer was told that they had given him as a present to some religious leaders. Similar to the situation of Fadi Ihsan Fadel, the government tried to emphasize that Rifat is Canadian. Minister of Foreign Affairs Bill Graham appeared on al Jazeera television to make an appeal to his captors. All attempts failed. No group has ever claimed responsibility for kidnapping Rifat. He is presumed dead.