A US marine who turned up in Beirut after being missing for 18 days from his base in Iraq was being flown to Germany today for debriefing and examination in a US military hospital.

The US has “credible information” that US marine Corporal Wassef Ali Hassoun who went missing in Iraq is safe in his native Lebanon.

A militant Iraqi group denied it had killed US Marine hostage Wassef Hassoun, contradicting earlier reports that he had been beheaded.