Police chief denies arresting beheaded American
A young American decapitated on a videotape released this week told friends that he was arrested by Iraqi police in Mosul because he had an Israeli stamp in his passport. The Mosul police chief today denied having arrested him.
The body of Nicholas Berg, 26, was found last weekend in western Baghdad. Three days later, a videotape posted on an al-Qaida-related website showed Berg decapitated by hooded armed men.
However, details of Berg’s stay in Iraq remain unclear, including the time and place of his abduction.
US officials said that Iraqi police arrested Berg in Mosul on March 24 because they believed he may have been involved in “suspicious activities”.
US spokesman Dan Senor would not explain those suspicions but insisted that Berg was held by Iraqi – and not American – authorities. However, he said the FBI visited Berg three times before he was released on April 6.
In Mosul, police chief Major General Mohammed Khair al-Barhawi insisted that his department had never arrested Berg and maintained he had no knowledge of the case.
“The Iraqi police never arrested the slain American,” al-Barhawi told reporters. “Take it from me ... that such reports are baseless.”
Berg’s family said the young Berg was transferred to American custody soon after his arrest. The family blames American authorities for holding him until a flare-up of anti-American violence, which set the stage for his abduction and death.
After his release, Berg travelled to Baghdad and checked into the Fanar Hotel. An acquaintance quoted Berg as saying he had been arrested by Iraqi police in Mosul because he had an Israeli entry stamp in his passport.
Most Arab countries bar foreigners from entering their territory if their passports contain Israeli entry stamps. However, controls along Iraq’s border have relaxed since the fall of Saddam Hussein’s regime in April 2003.
A US official said Berg was detained by Iraqi authorities “for his own protection” because his behaviour in Mosul seemed unusual for a westerner.
He had been seen travelling in taxis and moving about the dangerous city without any escort, the official said. He added that Berg, who was Jewish, had written materials which were “anti-Semitic” in tone.
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