Posted on 08/07/2004 6:21:41 PM PDT by ATOMIC_PUNK
The latest video showing the beheading of an American hostage by militants in Iraq has been exposed as a hoax set up by US man.
The video, which appeared on a web site used by Islamic militants, showed a man who identified himself as Benjamin Vanderford appealing to the United States to leave Iraq.
The web format was that used by al Qaeda ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and was introduced by a headline that said it showed Zarqawi killing an American.
"If we don't (leave Iraq), everyone is gonna be killed in this way... I have been offered for exchange for prisoners here in Iraq," the terrified-looking man said, rocking back and forth in his chair, his hands tied behind his back.
The video showed a hand with a large knife apparently slicing through the neck of a limp body.
But it was all a hoax.
The blood was dye, the setting was a friend's garage, the Koran reading was a tape and the knife was held by a friend.
A major motivation for his action, an unrepentant Vanderford said, was to see how the world media would react and to see if they would be fooled.
"It really illustrates the potential that this kind of thing would happen," he said.
Vanderford, 22, said he worked at branch of Wells Fargo bank. A college drop-out, he was a candidate for the local city council earlier this year but had since dropped out of the race.
Local police and FBI officials arrived at his door early on Saturday, but had no immediate comment as to whether he would face criminal charges.
A police official said it was a matter for the city's special investigations unit.
Vanderford expressed the hope that his stunt would not affect his bank job.
Maybe a Jeff Dahner type will get this guy for real.
This guy may have single-handedly destroyed the beheading video industry and the willingness of media outlets to trust al Jazeera.
We've got plenty of authentic beheading footage. Time to show some of it on regular broadcast TV. Time to stop pussyfooting around with these Muslim bastards.
Wonder what kind of charges can be brought against this guy?
Find out where he works and FReep the bank to fire him. LOL!
Sounds like a leftie trying to give comfort to the enemy.
"Local police and FBI officials arrived at his door early on Saturday . . . "
Hey Neets, it would have been early in California when "Beheadings1" was posting this morning. Coulda been our guy!
I am really convinced it was.
I remember the sign up date being mid July...it was just too weird that he had this "Beheadings1" screen name and no other posting history, other than his "hoax" post, this morning.
Actually, it sounds like a conservative who was trying to bait the media. The media should not have aired this. They did not have confirmation.
As you say, "Yuppers!"
As soon as a couple of us confronted him a bit he quit posting.
What was it W used to say, he "misunderestimated" us?
The ONLY people who saw this hoax were the news whores who reported it!
A total fabrication by islamic conspirators in california - where else? (Washington and Oregon!)
This POS posted the video here?
It must have slid under the muck quickly then - I never saw nor heard of ot, and I visit here a couple hours a day (my main news source!)
No, not the video.
Someone posting as Beheaded1 posted a thread with an AP link about the beheading having been reported by this sicko as being a fake.
We believe that Beheaded1 was this sicko.
Indeed.
He did a rather quick post and run...didn't he Sen??
It would be a trivial matter to use something like http://www.visualroute.com to determine beheadings1's locale from his IP address, assuming he's not using anonymizer.com or somesuch. How about it, John? If the guy's in SF, the FBI would probably like to know about it. We certainly would...
I have no doubt the FBI are not already into his computer seeing what wonderful gems he left there for him.
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