| An Islamic Web site posting Tuesday claimed an al-Qaida related group slaughtered a second American hostage in Iraq, an announcement that came as the group's 24-hour deadline for meeting its demands exipred. "The nation's zealous sons slaughtered the second American hostage ... after the end of the deadline," said the statement, which was posted under the pseudonym Abu Maysara al-Iraqi. The authenticity of the claim could not be verified. However, al-Iraqi has posted past statements on behalf of Tawhid and Jihad, a militant group led by Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. A similar announcement posted by al-Iraqi preceded the Monday night release of graphic footage of the beheading of American construction engineer Eugene Armstrong. Tawhid and Jihad has demanded all Muslim women held by the U.S. military in Iraq be freed. Tuesday's brief statement did not identify the latest victim by name, but militants said during the video of Armstrong's killing that they would kill within 24 hours another of the two hostages abducted with him — American Jack Hensley or Briton Kenneth Bigley. Tuesday night's statement said the American had been killed and that the video would be posted soon. |