Claim to behead US hostage just a toy story

A WEBSITE has posted a photograph of what it claimed was a US soldier kidnapped in Iraq, but doubts were quickly raised about its authenticity as the US military said no soldiers were missing.

A US toy manufacturer said the figure in the photo resembled one of its military action figures, originally produced for sale at US bases in Kuwait.

The statement appeared on a website where militants’ statements are often posted and was in the name of a group that has claimed previous kidnappings, the Mujahedeen Brigades.

The Arabic text, which threatened to behead the American within 72 hours, contained several misspellings and repetitions.

US military spokesman in Baghdad staff sergeant Nick Minecci said “no units have reported anyone missing”.

The website photo showed a figure dressed in desert fatigues, wearing a vest and knee pads and with a gun pointed to its head.

All the items are similar to ones that come in a box with the action figure, named Cody. The figure in the photo has its arms behind its body, as if tied, and is leaned against a concrete surface. Hanging on the wall is a black piece of cloth with the Islamic profession of faith written on it in white letters.

However, the figure appeared stiff and expressionless. The statement said he was named John Adam.

Liam Cusack, of toy manufacturer Dragon Models, said the image bore a striking resemblance to the ‘African-American’ version of its Cody action figure.

The company, based in City of Industry, California, produced 4,000 of the figures in 2003 for the US military for sale in its Kuwait bases. It was never sold in the US but is traded online among collectors, sometimes to use in highly realistic dioramas, he said.