Iraq militants deny US beheading
BBC
| July 4 2004
Comment: This is now proof of what we
suspected all along. Phony 'Al-Qaeda' groups with websites based in the
US are claiming responsibility or acting as patsies for numerous different
events. This has psy-ops written all over it.
The Islamic militant group Ansar al-Sunna
has denied reports it has beheaded a US marine in Iraq.
A statement that the group had killed Cpl
Wassef Ali Hassoun, an American of Lebanese origin, was made on two militant
websites on Saturday.
But on its own website, Ansar al-Sunna denied responsibility
for the statement.
It said any statement in its name not made through its
own website did not represent it.
The original threat to kill Cpl Hassoun was made in a videotape
broadcast last Sunday.
Al-Jazeera TV - which broadcast the video - said the threat
was made in the name of another organisation, known as Islamic Response,
the security wing of the National Islamic Resistance - 1920 Revolution Brigades.
Cpl Hassoun's captors had threatened to kill him unless
all Iraqi prisoners held by the US-led coalition forces were released.
'Credibility'
US and Lebanese officials said they were checking reports
that Cpl Hassoun was dead.
Meanwhile the marine's family remains in seclusion at its
home in the state of Utah as it awaits news about his fate.
The Lebanese Foreign Ministry said that it had received
information about the marine's death, but later stressed that this was "not
official".
But Ansar al-Sunna denied making any statement to the effect
that it had killed Cpl Hassoun.
"In order to maintain our credibility in all issues
we declare that this statement that was attributed to us has no basis of
truth," the message on its website said.
"Any statement that is not issued through our site
doesn't represent us."
Two foreign hostages are known to have been beheaded by
militants in Iraq.
Last month, a South Korean translator, Kim Sun-il, was
executed by his al-Qaeda-linked captors after Seoul rejected their demands
for the withdrawal of South Korean troops from Iraq.
American national Nick Berg was beheaded in May by militants
who said they were avenging the prisoners abused by US forces in Iraq.
Meanwhile US officials are still awaiting confirmation
that Islamists killed another captive US soldier, Keith Maupin, last week.
A videotape was released in which an unidentified man -
said to be Private Maupin - was shot in the back of the head.
He was captured in an ambush on an American convoy in April.
