Seif Adnan Kanaan
Encyclopedia
Seif Adnan Kanaan was an Iraqi citizen who was abducted in Iraq and beheaded on October 22, 2004. The reason given by the kidnappers, the Army of Ansar Al-Sunna, was that he was employed by the United States Army
.
Kanaan was shown in a picture surrounded by the three hooded gunmen with a banner of the Army of Ansar Al-Sunna in the background. They accused him of being an American spy recruited in Mosul. In the video the man makes a statement:
"My name is Seif Adnan Kanaan. I work at Mosul
airport... My second job is to supply beverages to the US army," the victim said, surrounded by three hooded gunmen.
One of the gunmen then reads a statement saying that "the mujahedeen (Islamic fighters) in Mosul were able to capture ... a crusader
spy
recruited by US forces to spy and inform on the mujahedeen
in Mosul."
The gunman said the purported spy worked at a US base in Mosul airport and "was known for his allegiance to the Americans and his hatred for the mujahedeen." He had "publicly insulted (Islam
's) Prophet Mohammed
."
"We tell people like him: the door of repentance is open... Announce your repentance and live in peace among your kin," the gunman said. He then warned that "The mujahedeen will catch those who persist in working with US forces, and settle for nothing less than beheading
them."
The man was beheaded after "confessing to all the actions he carried out."
The group also posted the statement on its website, accompanied by pictures of the beheading.
The video showed the man who read the statement later beheading the victim with a knife
. He placed the head on the back of the victim, who lay in a pool of blood.
The man had been killed "to serve as a lesson for others," the murderer said.
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
.
Murder
On October 22, 2004, a video was posted on the website of the Army of Ansar Al-Sunna, apparently showed the beheading of Kanaan.Kanaan was shown in a picture surrounded by the three hooded gunmen with a banner of the Army of Ansar Al-Sunna in the background. They accused him of being an American spy recruited in Mosul. In the video the man makes a statement:
"My name is Seif Adnan Kanaan. I work at Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
airport... My second job is to supply beverages to the US army," the victim said, surrounded by three hooded gunmen.
One of the gunmen then reads a statement saying that "the mujahedeen (Islamic fighters) in Mosul were able to capture ... a crusader
Tenth Crusade
The Tenth Crusade is a rhetorical device that builds an analogy between the US-led War on Terrorism and the historical Crusades. Critics of this term claim the analogy is misleading.-Crusade:The word "crusade" was used by US President George W...
spy
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
recruited by US forces to spy and inform on the mujahedeen
Mujahideen
Mujahideen are Muslims who struggle in the path of God. The word is from the same Arabic triliteral as jihad .Mujahideen is also transliterated from Arabic as mujahedin, mujahedeen, mudžahedin, mudžahidin, mujahidīn, mujaheddīn and more.-Origin of the concept:The beginnings of Jihad are traced...
in Mosul."
The gunman said the purported spy worked at a US base in Mosul airport and "was known for his allegiance to the Americans and his hatred for the mujahedeen." He had "publicly insulted (Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
's) Prophet Mohammed
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
."
"We tell people like him: the door of repentance is open... Announce your repentance and live in peace among your kin," the gunman said. He then warned that "The mujahedeen will catch those who persist in working with US forces, and settle for nothing less than beheading
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
them."
The man was beheaded after "confessing to all the actions he carried out."
The group also posted the statement on its website, accompanied by pictures of the beheading.
The video showed the man who read the statement later beheading the victim with a knife
Knife
A knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...
. He placed the head on the back of the victim, who lay in a pool of blood.
The man had been killed "to serve as a lesson for others," the murderer said.
See also
- IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
- 2003 invasion of Iraq2003 invasion of IraqThe 2003 invasion of Iraq , was the start of the conflict known as the Iraq War, or Operation Iraqi Freedom, in which a combined force of troops from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Poland invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein in 21 days of major combat operations...
- Abu Ghraib prisoner abuseAbu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuseBeginning in 2004, human rights violations in the form of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse, including torture, rape, sodomy, and homicide of prisoners held in the Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq came to public attention...
- Human rights situation in post-Saddam Iraq
- 2003 invasion of Iraq
- DecapitationDecapitationDecapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
- Daniel PearlDaniel PearlDaniel Pearl was an American journalist who was kidnapped and killed by Al-Qaeda.At the time of his kidnapping, Pearl served as the South Asia Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal, and was based in Mumbai, India. He went to Pakistan as part of an investigation into the alleged links between...
- Nick BergNick BergNicholas Evan "Nick" Berg was an American businessman who went to Iraq after the US invasion of Iraq. He was abducted and later beheaded according to a video released in May 2004 by Islamist militants...
- Paul Marshall Johnson, Jr.Paul Marshall Johnson, Jr.Paul Marshall Johnson, Jr. was an American helicopter engineer who lived in Saudi Arabia. He was a native of both Stafford and Eagleswood, New Jersey...
- Eugene Armstrong
- Kim Sun-ilKim Sun-ilKim Sun-il was a South Korean translator and Christian missionary who was kidnapped and beheaded in Iraq.- Kidnapping :...
- Kenneth BigleyKenneth BigleyKenneth John Bigley , born Liverpool, England, was a civil engineer who was kidnapped in the al-Mansour district of Baghdad, Iraq on 16 September 2004, along with his colleagues Jack Hensley and Eugene Armstrong, both U.S. citizens...
- Piotr StańczakPiotr StańczakPiotr Stańczak was a Polish geologist who was beheaded by Islamic terrorists in Pakistan in February 2009. Stańczak was abducted in the city of Attock in September 2008 after gunmen shot dead his driver, translator and bodyguard with whom he was travelling in a car...
- Jack HensleyJack HensleyJack Hensley was an American engineer from Marietta, Cobb County, Georgia, near Atlanta.While working in Iraq he was kidnapped and beheaded by Iraqi insurgents. His colleague, Eugene Armstrong, was beheaded the previous day...
- Shosei KodaShosei KodaShosei Koda was a Japanese citizen who was kidnapped and later beheaded in Iraq on November 3, 2004 while touring the country. His parents were members of the United Church of Christ...
- Daniel Pearl
External links
- USA Today:Internet tape purportedly shows beheading By The Associated Press Posted: October 23, 2004. Retrieved: December 30, 2010.
- Washington Times:Car Bombings Kill 17 Iraqis; Attack Injures 6 U.S. Soldiers/Extremists Said to Behead Man Working With Americans By Karl Vick. Washington Post Foreign Service. Posted: October 24, 2004. Retrieved: December 30, 2010.