Fuel on the fire: Four arrested in Berg beheading, but big fish gets away
Four men have been arrested in the slaying of Nichols Berg, according to
AFP, but not Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the suspected mastermind and the most wanted terrorist in Iraq.
The report is likely to spark a fresh round of conspiracy theories in the Middle East and around the Internet (where "Nick Berg" has become the
most requested search phrase). The release of the Berg beheading video sparked an uproar of analysis and questions, especially after reports that Berg knew al Qaeda suspect Zacarias Moussaoui in the U.S. and that Berg told family and friends he was detained in Mosul by U.S. authorities.
The U.S. has denied that report despite substantial inconsistencies in the accounts of Berg's detention, which the U.S. says was at the hands of Iraqis. E-mails from the U.S. consul, obtained by the Associated Press, seem to contradict that claim.
Speculation aside, it does beg the question when a video showing five masked men leads to four arrests — none of whom are the only clearly identified person on the video. The Berg controversy only deepens with every passing day, and it shows no sign of slowing.
-- JMB
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