Iraq militants deny US beheading

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.

http://www.propagandamatrix.com/articles/july2004/040704denybeheading.htm