Killing of Nick Berg

[2] The decapitation video was released on the internet, reportedly from London to a Malaysian-hosted homepage by the Islamist organization Jama'at al-Tawhid wal-Jihad.

[3] Berg was born in Charlotte, North Carolina and grew up in West Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia.

He also went to the northern city of Mosul, visiting an Iraqi man whose brother had been married to Berg's late aunt.

[citation needed] Throughout his time in Iraq, he maintained frequent contact with his family in the United States by telephone and email.

[citation needed] After his parents filed suit in federal court in Philadelphia on April 5, 2004, claiming that he was being held illegally, he was released from custody.

Although a U.S. State Department investigator looked into Berg's disappearance, official government inquiries produced no leads.

His family, frustrated with what they say was a lack of action by the U.S. government, also hired a private investigator and contacted both their Congressional delegation and the Red Cross in search of information.

Military sources stated publicly at the time that Berg's body showed "signs of trauma", but did not disclose that he had been decapitated.

On May 11, 2004, the website of the militant jihadist forum Muntada al-Ansar[18] posted a video with the opening title of "Abu Musab al-Zarqawi slaughters an American", which shows Berg being decapitated.

During the video, the masked man reading the statement said the killing was in revenge for the Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse.

British newspaper The Independent urged restraint, arguing the video was propaganda and publishing images from it "plays into the hands" of terrorists.

[23] Berg's killing was condemned by the Arab League, and United Nations, as well as Saudi Arabia, Jordan and UAE.

[30] Alternatively, on July 5, 2004, Sky News reported that four men were arrested in connection with the Nick Berg decapitation.

[32] On August 5, 2004, Le Nouvel Observateur published a feature story by Sara Daniel[33] detailing her meeting with Abu Rashid, a leader of the Mujahideen Council in Fallujah.