Wellington (New Zealand), Dec. 22 (AP): An Indian-Canadian is among four members of a Chicago-based group being held hostage in Iraq since last month.

Harmeet Singh Sooden, 32, was kidnapped on November 26 in Baghdad along with three other members of the Christian Peacemaker Teams ? Tom Fox, 54, of Clear Brook, Virginia; Norman Kember, 74, of London; and James Loney, 41, of Toronto.

There has been no recent contact from their kidnappers, who identified themselves as the Swords of Righteousness Brigade, a previously unknown group.

Sooden’s New Zealand-based family today said they believed that the lack of contact by his kidnappers may be a positive sign.

The kidnappers earlier threatened to kill the hostages if Iraqi prisoners are not released from American and Iraqi jails by December 8, Al Jazeera television reported.

Sooden’s brother-in-law Mark Brewer said the family continued to regard the lack of news about the hostages as a positive signal. “We have not heard anything, and... we put no news down as good news. We are not too concerned about it (the lack of news), but we do want to see an end to this,” he said.

The family, including Sooden’s parent and sister, will try to celebrate Christmas Day as normally as possible.