UPDATE: Atwar Bahjat Beheading Video A Hoax

(Via The Jawa Report and Mudville Gazette)

Dr. Rusty Shackleford [GRAPHIC IMAGES WARNING] has confirmed that the video reported yesterday to be that of the brutal murder of Iraqi journalist, Atwar Bahjat, is in fact the execution of a Nepalese man by the Army of Ansar al-Sunna in Iraq from August of 2004.

Dr. Shackleford expains:

A gruesome beheading video delivered to the Sunday Times purporting to be of slain journalist Atwar Bahjat is a hoax. On Sunday, May 7th, the Times reported that they had received a low-quality video of Atwar Bahjat being slowly beheaded. That video is now being circulated on the internet as the "Atwar Bahjat" beheading video.

The Jawa Report can reveal that the Times and Halal Jabar, the author of the article, are victims of a hoax. The video actually shows the gruesome murder of a Nepalese man by the Army of Ansar al-Sunna in Iraq from August of 2004. The man was one of 12 victims executed by the terrorist organization--the other 11 were shot.

As Dr. Rusty Shackleford and Greyhawk both make clear it the above linked posts, the fact that the video was not that of Atwar Bahjat does not discount the fact that Ms. Bahjat was cruelly and violently executed.

Although Ms. Bahjat was not beheaded as previously reported, the video should still serve as a chilling reminder of the gruesome tactics employed by this most heinous of enemies. The threat remains as real as ever.

Tags: Atwar Bahjat, Murder, Terrorism, War on Terror, Iraq