AMERICAN 'BEHEADED IN IRAQ'

Sky News ^ | 7AUG04 | Sky News

[familyop]

A video purporting to show an American being beheaded in Iraq has been posted on a militant Islamic website.      

The hostage said he was from San Francisco and urged American troops to leave Iraq, it is reported.

The al Qaeda-linked group led by the Jordanian Abu Musab al Zarqawi claimed responsibility for the killing.    

The man named himself as Benjamin Ford on the video.   

"My name is Benjamin Ford. I am from San Francisco, California," he says, dressed in a plain beige T-shirt as he sat on a chair.   

"We need to leave this country right now. If we don't, everyone is gonna be killed in this way," he said.   

The video then showed him being beheaded.  

The United States this week said the US-led military coalition in Iraq would not make any more concessions to kidnappers after the Philippines withdrew its troops to win the release of a hostage. 

[cincinnati65]

"If you're an American who knows you're about to be beheaded, do you spend your last moments on this planet blasting your own country?"

I mean no disrepect to the man or his family.....but he was from San Francisco.

[Ros42]

It looks fake to me...looks rehearsed..who knows?

[familyop]

If it is a hoax, some of the possible consequences might be interesting. ...anti-defense propaganda, for example. That would really backfire, I would think.

[Quilla]

If this is a fake video and false claim of beheading, I wonder what the penalty would be for such a hoax.

[Sloth]

The intercutting of the pictures of Iraqi dead is a little artsy for terrorists, too.

[Ros42]

Yep, it looks like a Maggot Moore cut and paste job

[csvset]

I wonder what the penalty would be for such a hoax.

I'd say an ass kicking as a bare minimum.

[Sloth]

At the risk of being insensitive, I sent the guy an e-mail asking "Are you dead, or what?" :P

[oblomov]

Maybe he went to Iraq to lock up the critical terrorist endorsement for his candidacy in the San Francisco Supervisor race.

[familyop]

"At the risk of being insensitive, I sent the guy an e-mail asking "Are you dead, or what?" :P"

LOL! Let us know if you get a reply.

[oblomov]

I agree 100% with your statements. Also, your blog is very good.

[livius]

Actually, I think one of the more recent authenticated videos had some other video clips in it, too, plus a sort of musical score in the background of Arab loonies chanting. They're clearly trying to improve their production values. Probably getting coaching from Michael Moore.

If this is a fake, however, I'm puzzled as to what good they think it would do. Or what the guy from SF thought it would achieve (assuming he was a willing part of it and was not actually killed).

[visualops]

LOL Coffee + Keyboard unintended consequences alert!

[Allegra]

Why can't we keep crazy people out of a warzone??

They let me in, didn't they? Heeeheee

[engrpat]

Just reported 7am on a Dallas station that this story is a hoax.

[mhking]

This one smells.

[txrangerette]

This is so Nick Berg-ish, don't
you think? Start thinking of the
similarities - they are legion.

I wonder...

[Steve0113]

Just reported 7am on a Dallas station that this story is a hoax.

Heard it here just now, too. They quoted the alleged victim himself in San Francisco, and he would probably know.

[rabidralph]

"My name is Benjamin Ford Danforth Vanderford IV. Everyone make your time. You have no chance to survive."

[marty60]

Waiting for concrete evidence. something doesn't fit here.