An Iraqi Islamist group said Monday in a statement it had not killed a U.S. Marine it was holding captive and had moved Wassef Ali Hassoun to "a place of safety" after he vowed not to return to the U.S. armed forces, Al Jazeera television reported.
The TV report said it had received a statement from the group, calling itself the Islamic Response. In the statement, the group, however, did not say where Hassoun, a U.S. Marine of Lebanese origin, had been taken, Al Jazeera added.
On Saturday, a Web site posting claimed Hassoun had been beheaded. A declaration by a group calling itself the Ansar al-Sunna Army claimed that it had beheaded Hassoun, adding it would release video backing up that assertion.
On Sunday, however, a second Web posting on another Internet site said Hassoun was alive. (Albawaba.com)
© 2004 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
