"My name is Nick Berg, my father's name is Michael, my mother's
name is Susan," the man said on the video. "I have a brother
and sister, David and Sarah. I live in ... Philadelphia."
After reading a statement, the men were seen pulling the man to his
side and putting a large knife to his neck. A scream sounded as the
men cut his head off, shouting "Allahu Akbar!" — "God
is great." They then held the head out before the camera.
Berg was a small-business owner from the Philadelphia suburbs, his family
said Tuesday.
Berg's family said they knew their son had been decapitated, but didn't
know the details of the killing. When told of the video by an Associated
Press reporter, Berg's father, Michael, and his two siblings hugged
and cried.
"I knew he was decapitated before. That manner is preferable to
a long and torturous death. But I didn't want it to become public,"
Michael Berg said.
The video tape included a statement by one of the executioners:
"For the mothers and wives of American soldiers, we tell you that
we offered the U.S. administration to exchange this hostage with some
of the detainees in Abu Ghraib and they refused."
"So we tell you that the dignity of the Muslim men and women in
Abu Ghraib and others is not redeemed except by blood and souls. You
will not receive anything from us but coffins after coffins ... slaughtered
in this way."
The video bore the title "Abu Musab al-Zarqawi shown slaughtering
an American." It was unclear whether al-Zarqawi — a lieutenant
of Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) — was shown in the video,
or was claiming responsibility for ordering the execution.
The Web site on which the video was posted is known as a clearing house
for al-Qaida and Islamic extremist groups' statements and tapes.
The family of Berg, 26, of West Chester, Pa., said they were informed
by the U.S. State Department on Monday that Berg was found dead near
a highway overpass in Baghdad.
Berg's mother, Suzanne Berg, said her son was in Iraq as an independent
businessman to help rebuild communication antennas. He had been missing
since April 9, she said.
"He had this idea that he could help rebuild the infrastructure,"
she said.
The U.S. military Tuesday said an American civilian was found dead in
Baghdad, but did not release his identity. State Department spokeswoman
Susan Pittman said she couldn't release the name of the dead American,
but said she not aware of more than one civilian found dead in recent
days.
The military said there were signs of trauma to the body. Suzanne Berg
said she was told her son's death was violent but did not want to discuss
details.
Berg, who was in Baghdad from late December to Feb. 1, returned to Iraq
in March. He didn't find any work and planned again to return home on
March 30, but his daily communications home stopped on March 24. He
later told his parents he was jailed by Iraqi officials at a checkpoint
in Mosul.
"He was arrested and held without due process," his father,
Michael Berg, told the Daily Local News of West Chester recently. "By
the time he got out the whole area was inflamed with violence.
The FBI (news - web sites) on March 31 interviewed Berg's parents in
West Chester. Jerri Williams, a spokeswoman for the Philadelphia FBI
office, told The Philadelphia Inquirer the agency had been "asked
to interview the parents regarding Mr. Berg's purpose in Iraq."
On April 5, the Bergs filed suit in federal court in Philadelphia,
contending that their son was being held illegally by the U.S. military.
The next day Berg was released. He told his parents he hadn't been mistreated.
The Bergs last heard from their son April 9, when he said he would
come home by way of Jordan, Turkey or Kuwait. But by then, hostilities
in Iraq had escalated.
Suzanne Berg on Tuesday said she was told her son's body would be transported
to Kuwait and then to Dover, Del. She said the family had been trying
for weeks to learn where their son was but that federal officials had
not been helpful.
"I went through this with them for weeks," she said. "I
basically ended up doing most of the investigating myself."
