Video claims to show execution of official

An Iraqi Interior Ministry official hostage was apparently shot dead by militants from Abu Musab al-Zarqawi’s terror network in a video posted on the internet today.

There was no way to independently authenticate the video, which was posted on a militant Web site.

The video showed a man identifying himself as Col. Ryadh Katie Olyway seated between two masked men wearing black.

He displayed his Interior Ministry identification card and said he was a liaison officer with the American forces.

Olyway, dressed in a brown shirt and jacket and beige pants, said he provided the US military with the names ”of officers of the former Iraqi army, who are Sunnis, and their addresses”.

Behind the men was the black banner of al-Qaida in Iraq.

The hostage, referring to female Iraqi prisoners, said he had witnessed “different methods of torture and violation of their honour”.

Al-Qaida in Iraq has said many of its latest killings were in revenge for female Iraqi prisoners.

The American military denies it is holding any Iraqi women.

A third masked man was then shown behind Olyway, reading from a statement that “the legal committee of the al-Qaida in Iraq decided to kill this apostate”.

Olyway was then shown blindfolded, and the man shot him once in the head.