The bodies of two Iraqi interpreters kidnapped with a U.S. civil contractor were found in the center of the Iraqi southern city of Basra on Saturday, local police source said.

Their bodies were found near a stadium in the city with bullet holes in the back of their heads, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

A spokesman of the U.S. embassy confirmed earlier that a U.S. private security contractor has been kidnapped Friday near Basra.

On Friday, local police said that unknown gunmen in three cars intercepted the victims' car in the al-Haritha area while they were travelling from Misan province to Basra, and kidnapped them.

On Nov. 17, gunmen wearing police uniforms also kidnapped four Americans and an Austrian, who were among a group of private security contractors escorting a convoy from Safwan area on the Iraqi-Kuwaiti border. The kidnapped contractors are still held hostages since then.

Source: Xinhua