Al-Qaida claims to have executed US embassy employee in Baghdad

An al-Qaida front group claimed Thursday on an Islamic Web site known to be used by extremists that it had executed an employee of the US Embassy in Baghdad. The veracity of the claim could not be independently verified and the US Embassy said it was looking into the report but had no immediate comment. On the site, the Islamic State of Iraq claimed the execution of an embassy "official" it identified as Zaher Abdel Mohsin Abdel-Saheb took place Saturday as revenge for "the Muslim women who are still captives in the prisons of Shi'ites and crusaders." The Arabic-language statement was signed by the Ministry of Information of the Islamic State of Iraq.