BAGHDAD, May 28 (Xinhuanet) -- Iraqi government condemned on Saturday the killing of a Japanese hostage who went missing since early this month.

    Iraqi National Security Minister Abdul Karim al-Enizi condemned in a statement the gruesome killing of Akihiko Saito, saying "the killing occurred as efforts were exerted to seek his release.

    "Earlier in the day, the al-Arabiyah television aired a video footage posted on the Internet by an extremist Islamic group of the Ansar al-Sunna, showing identification papers and passport bearing the name of Akihiko Saito.

    The pan-Arab TV said it "declines to show the bloody body as it is so ugly", but said the body which appeared to resemble Saito was lying on his back with blood covering his face.

    Saito, 44, was a former paratrooper and veteran of the Frenc hForeign Legion. He was employed by the British private security firm Hart to assist US military operations in Iraq.

    Saito had been missing in Iraq since May 8 after reports said hehad sustained serious injuries in an insurgent attack on a convoy that he was escorting and was captured. Enditem