'American faked his beheading in video'

"It was part of a stunt, but no one noticed it up until now," 22-year-old Vanderford told the AP. "I did this for a couple of reasons. One is to attract attention. But two is to just make a statement on these type of videos and how easily they can be faked."

Al-Arabiya television in Dubai, showing excerpts from a video, reported Saturday that a US hostage had been killed "at the hands" of al-Qaeda's alleged chief in Iraq, Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi.

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In the video, Vanderford, wearing a white T-shirt, sitting on a white plastic chair with his hands tied behind his back, called for the "immediate" departure of US forces from Iraq, warning that foreign troops would face death otherwise.