Second hostage executed - report

Al-Jazeera television has cited a website claim that a second US hostage has been killed.

``The nation's zealous children slaughtered the second American hostage … after the end of the deadline … We will provide you with film of the slaughter soon, God willing,'' said the statement, in the pseudonym Abu Maysara al-Iraqi, who has posted past statements in the group's name.

Although the brief statement did not identify by name who had been killed, the announcement came a day after graphic footage of the beheading of American construction engineer Eugene Armstrong.

That videotape had threatened to kill another of the three hostages abducted Thursday with Armstrong – either American Jack Hensley or Briton Kenneth Bigley.