Severed head was US hostage - Embassy

The head found in Riyadh this week is that of decapitated hostage Paul Johnson, the US Embassy in Riyadh said today.

“We did see the head on Thursday and have confirmed that it is the head of Paul Johnson, unfortunately,” spokeswoman Carol Kalin said.

The Saudi Interior Ministry said on Wednesday that during a search of a militant hideout in Riyadh, their security forces found the severed head of Johnson. But the US Embassy reserved confirmation pending its own identification of the head.

Militants linked to al Qaida kidnapped Johnson on June 12 and killed him six days later. The rest of Johnson’s body has not been found.