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Iraqi govt condemns killing of Japanese
hostage
File photo of Japanese hostage
Akihiko Saito in 1998. (Xinhua/AFP
Photo) | CAIRO, May 28
(Xinhuanet) -- An Islamic militant group in Iraq,Army of Ansar al-Sunna, has
claimed that it had killed a Japanese hostage, according to reports reaching
here on Saturday.
The reports said an Internet video allegedly showed the
hostage's bloodied body and identification papers and a passport bearing the
name of Akihiko Saito, 44.
Saito, a former paratrooper and veteran of the French
Foreign Legion, is a Japanese security consultant worked for Hart Security Ltd.,
a British security firm based in Cyprus. He has been missingin Iraq since his
convoy was ambushed on May 8.
Reports from Tokyo said the Japanese government is
trying toverify whether a photo of a dead Asian man posted on the Internet was
that of Saito.
"We're not able to confirm anything at this point," a
Foreign Ministry spokesman was quoted as saying. The Army of Ansar al-Sunna has
claimed responsibility for attacks against US forces and the Iraqi government
and killed several hostages. Enditem | 
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