Iraq group posts video claiming hostage killing

updated 2:11 p.m. ET Dec. 19, 2005

CAIRO, Egypt - A video posted on a Web site in the name of an extremist group Monday purportedly showed a man being shot in the back of the head, days after the group claimed to have killed American adviser Ronald Allen Schulz.

Meanwhile, a German woman released Sunday after being held hostage for three weeks is expected to leave Iraq soon, but she likely will not return to her homeland for some time, the German government said Monday.

The video purportedly posted by the Islamic Army of Iraq did not show the face of the victim, and it was impossible to identify him conclusively. The victim was blindfolded and kneeling with his back to the camera and his hands tied behind his back when he purportedly was shot.

In a separate video, shown on a split screen as the alleged killing was aired, the extremist group showed a picture of Schulz, a former U.S. Marine, alive. The group aired the same footage of Schulz when he was first taken hostage earlier this month.

In an Internet posting last week, the group claimed it killed Schulz, 40, and then said later it would show the killing. The group said it had killed Schulz after the United States failed to respond to its demand for the release of Iraqi prisoners.

Pentagon: No info
In Washington, Pentagon spokesman Lawrence Di Rita said he had no information about the video or the fate of Schulz.

On Tuesday, President Bush said the United States would work for the return of captive Americans in Iraq but would not submit to terrorist tactics.

“We, of course, don’t pay ransom for any hostages,” Bush said.

Schulz, a civilian contractor from Eagle River, Alaska, has been identified by the extremist group as a security consultant for the Iraqi Housing Ministry, although neighbors and family say he is an industrial electrician who has worked on contracts around the world.

Schulz, a native of North Dakota, served in the Marine Corps from 1984 to 1991. He moved to Alaska six years ago, and friends and family say he is divorced.

The videotape showed a man purportedly being shot as he kneeled in an open, empty area of dirt. The video also showed Schulz’s identity card.

Schulz’s sister, Julie, in Jamestown, N.D., said Monday she had no confirmation of her brother’s death from U.S. officials.

“We’re still waiting for confirmation,” she told The Associated Press

The group, one of the most active terrorist groups in Iraq, is believed to include former Baathists and loyalists to Saddam Hussein — including former Palestinian militants who lived in Iraq under Saddam.

According to the group’s literature, it aims to drive all U.S. and coalition forces from Iraq, and it has targeted foreigners in Iraq.

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