LONDON - Five Britons were abducted in Baghdad Tuesday, the Foreign Office confirmed, as a government crisis cell met to discuss how to respond to the situation.
The ministry said its embassy in Baghdad was in "urgent" contact with Iraqi authorities over the kidnapping, which occurred in broad daylight outside the finance ministry.
"We can confirm that a group of five British nationals were abducted in an incident at the finance ministry in central Baghdad," said the spokeswoman, adding that it occurred at 11:40 am local time (0740 GMT).
"Officials from our embassy are in urgent contact with the Iraqi authorities to try to establish the facts and to secure a swift resolution," she told AFP.
She added that foreign office officials were in touch with the individuals' employers "and their families are in the process of being informed." Four of the five were employees of a Canadian security firm.
The confirmation came as a British government crisis cell met to consider a response. "I can confirm that a Cobra meeting is taking place this afternoon," a cabinet office spokeswoman said.
Cobra stands for Cabinet Office Briefing Room A in the prime minister's office in Downing Street where it usually meets.
The spokeswomen declined to say who was present at the meeting but it can include senior ministers and police and intelligence chiefs. Even Prime Minister Tony Blair can be present, but he was in Libya Tuesday.
The Britons were snatched when police vehicles surrounded a finance ministry office on Palestine Street in the heart of Baghdad and a squad of men wearing police uniforms stormed the building, an Iraqi official in Baghdad said.
Those abducted were taken away at gunpoint and driven off by men in the recently issued newly designed fatigues of the National Police, a heavily armed interior ministry paramilitary unit, he added.
Meanwhile a Canadian security firm called Garda confirmed the abduction of four of its employees. Company spokeswoman Nathalie de Champlain said: "They work for Garda World and they are British citizens."
The fifth hostage is a "client" of Garda, she added.
According to its website, Garda provides physical security, consulting and investigations, pre-employment screening, and cash handling with operations in North America, Europe and the Middle East.
It boasts 50,000 employees worldwide and through several acquisitions in recent years, has become one the largest armoured truck services in North America.
05/29/2007 16:44 GMT