Wurde Foley im Video ermordet?

von Florian Flade

Die Szene, in der Foley angeblich ermordet wurde. Doch der Henker hält das Messer falsch herum.

Die Propagandaabteilung „Al-Hayat“ der Terrorgruppe „Islamischer Staat“ hat heute eine neue Ausgabe ihres Online-Magazins Dabiq veröffentlicht. Darin enthalten ist u.a. die angeblich kompletten letzten Worte des US-Journalisten James Foley vor seiner Ermordung.

In dem Text heißt es, dass mehrere europäische Geiseln, die gemeinsam mit Foley von IS gefangen gehalten wurden, offenbar von ihren jeweiligen Regierungen freigekauft worden seien. Dies entspricht meinen Recherchen zur Geschichte eines Deutschen, der von den IS-Terroristen ein Jahr lang als Geisel gehalten wurde. Nachzulesen in der „Welt am Sonntag“.

Ein Screenshot aus dem Hinrichtungsvideos Foleys ist der angeblichen Rede beigefügt. Dabei fällt etwas auf. Der Henker hielt offenbar das Messer, mit dem der US-Journalist geköpft worden sein soll, falsch herum. Die Klinge zeigt deutlich nach außen.

Schon kurz nach dem Auftauchen des grausamen Videos vor rund zwei Wochen kamen Zweifel daran auf, ob Foley tatsächlich während der Aufnahme getötet wurde oder doch zu einem anderen Zeitpunkt. Grund für die Skepsis ist insbesondere der Schnitt des Videos. Kurz nachdem der englischsprachige Terrorist das Messer an Foleys Kehle ansetzt, gibt es einen Schnitt. In der nächsten Szene ist der abgetrennte Kopf von Foley auf dem Körper liegend zu sehen.

Die eigentliche Ermordung aber wird nicht gezeigt. Dies könnte unterschiedliche Gründe haben. Denkbar ist, dass die Terroristen die grausamsten Teile des Videos nicht zeigen wollten. Was allerdings kaum schlüssig ist, angesichts vergangener Geiselvideos, in denen die Ermordung der Geiseln detailliert und in voller Länge gezeigt wurde.

Wahrscheinlicher dürfte tatsächlich sein, dass James Foley nicht direkt vor laufender Kamera getötet wurde. Sondern zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt.

Toulouse Gunman Sent Videos of Killings To Al-Jazeera

by Florian Flade

He said he uploaded videos onto the Internet for the public to see his killings. He said he recorded the brutal acts of killing three French soldiers, three Jewish children and a teacher. After a French special police force killed the Toulouse gunman Mohamed Merah after a 33-hour stand-off in his apartment, the police found the killer´s camera on the videos he was talking about.

What they did not know was that Merah apparently had already started to spread the footage. Today the Paris bureau of TV-Channel Al-Jazeera has received a letter containing a USB stick. On the memory device Al-Jazeera staff discovered video of shocking content.

The footage was that of Mohamed Merah, the video sequence that he recorded when he shot and killed his victims. Unconfirmed reports say the material contains a montage of videos accompanied by various Islamic songs and reading from the Quran.

French police was informed by Al-Jazeera about the letter. The investigators confirmed the authenticity of the video footage. Apparently the letter and the gruesome video was sent from a village in Southern France on Thursday or early Wednesday as it was bearing a post stamp of March 21.

On that day the siege of the Toulouse aparment of Merah was ongoing (it started in the night from Thursday to Wednesday). This is why French police believes it was Mohamed Merah or his brother Abdelkader who sent the material to Al-Jazeera.

Still unclear is wether or not Mohamed Merah was able to upload the footage onto Youtube or any other website. Till today no video has surfaced which of course does not mean it may not be in the hands of Jihadi activists in Europe or outside.

Meanwhile French President Nicolas Sarkozy said in a radio interview Mohamed Merah has probably never trained in a Al-Qaida camp in Pakistan or Afghanistan. He also had no known links to terrorist organizations, Sarkozy said. Merah appears to be a self-radicalized Muslim who apparently traveled alot.

Before Merah traveled to Tajikistan and then crossed into Afghanistan in November 2010 he had made a journey to Jordan and entered Israel. During questioning by the Israeli „Shin Bet“ intelligence agency Merah said he was on a holiday trip – and was allowed to continue his traveling. In his passport police found stamps proving Merah´s travel activities  – Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Afghanistan, Pakistan.

Al-Qaida Releases Final Osama Bin Laden Audio Message

by Florian Flade

Al-Qaida´s As-Sahab Media has released the final audio message by Osama Bin Laden. The 12-minute audio is titled „Message by Sheikh Osama Bin Laden to the Muslim Ummah“ and praises the political events of North Africa, the revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt.

Here are some quotes from Bin Laden´s message

„Days of Glory for Islam have come and the leaders disappeared from Arab lands. They lived upon thrones until we received the news with joy.
The Muslim Ummah was always awaiting the victory to be rising from the eastern horizon but surprisingly the sun of the revolution rose from the Maghrib (West). The light of the revolution sparked in Tunisia, and the nation felt the relief, the faces of the people brightened, and the throats of the rulers got coarser and the Jews got terrified because the coming of the promised day“

„The new meanings of freedom, pride, audacity, and courage have risen. The winds of change have come, in a will of liberation. And Tunisia took the first credit fast as like the strike of lightning. The knights took the torch from the free men of Tunisia to Tahrir Square. So a great revolution started, and what a great revolution! A revolution that will change the whole of Egypt and the whole Ummah if it holds onto the rope of Allah.“

„So they brought torches in the Tahrir Square in Cairo to crush the corrupted system. They stood in front of the face of fraud and they raised their fists against it. And they did not fear its army. They made a commitment and fullfilled their promise.“

„You are the knights and leaders and in your hand you have its bridles. The Ummah had saved you to this very gravely missed events. So continue the march and do not fear the hardship“

„Oh children of this Muslim Ummah, there is a serious crossroads before you and a great and rare historic opportunity to rise with the Ummah and to free yourselves from servitude to the desires of the rulers, man-made law, and Western dominance.“

„And also the best of Martys is Hamza Ibn Abdul Muttalib and the one that speaks the truth in the face of the oppressive tyrant, and he is killed because of this. Congratulations to whoever had this great intention, if he dies he is the best of Martyrs and if he lives on he lives with pride and glory. Stand by truth and don not worry. Saying the truth to a tyrant is the pride and good tidings. It is the path in this life and it is path to the hereafter. Whether you want to die as a slave or if you want to die as a freeman.“

Question remains why it took As-Sahab Media almost three weeks to release Osama Bin Laden´s latest audio tape. Why didn´t the Al-Qa´ida leader mention the ongoing conflict in Libya, the anti-regime protests in Yemen and Syria?

The release date might be explained with yesterday´s Obama Middle-East speech. The US-President praised the political changes in the region – and so does the late Al-Qa´ida leader. As-Sahab picked the date of the Bin Laden message release on the Internet with full knowledge of Obama´s plans to talk to the Arab world.