MSNBC Breaking: Video of American's 'beheading' in Iraq a Hoax..

[Junkdrawer]

SAN FRANCISCO - A video aired Saturday that purportedly showed an American being decapitated was a hoax. The man, reached by The Associated Press in San Francisco, said he videotaped the staged beheading at his friend’s house using fake blood.

On the tape, Benjamin Vanderford, 22, sat on a chair in a dark room, his hands behind his back, trembling and rocking back and forth. The tape showed a hand with a knife cutting at the motionless man’s neck, but did not show any militants

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5629119/

[LTR]

1. Is this the guy?

http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=FD933EAC-FDBA-41FA-802F3167CCBF4658

[enigmatic]

32. Wow...

I'm the one who put the original thread on LBN just before I went to bed, and when I got up today it turns out to be a hoax???

Doesn't look good the media, again..

[clydefrand]

2. Some sick asshole, I'd say

What would be his point?

[lebkuchen]

42. I prefer men doing this

than spending time making new viruses to send around the world.

At least the fake beheading didn't hurt anyone.

[OKNancy]

3. Direct link to story

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5629119/

[Junkdrawer]

4. Looks like they took the banner down....

I saw it while reading an unrelated story. The BBC also had a teaser...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x734337#734443

[Junkdrawer]

6. I found the direct link:

SAN FRANCISCO - A video aired Saturday that purportedly showed an American being decapitated was a hoax. The man, reached by The Associated Press in San Francisco, said he videotaped the staged beheading at his friend’s house using fake blood.

On the tape, Benjamin Vanderford, 22, sat on a chair in a dark room, his hands behind his back, trembling and rocking back and forth. The tape showed a hand with a knife cutting at the motionless man’s neck, but did not show any militants

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5629119/

Will edit main post.

[MGKrebs]

5. It is odd. The original story I saw gave no indication

that the guy was in Iraq, had ever been in Iraq, or had any connection to Iraq.

[RFKHumphreyObama]

7. This is becoming increasingly bizarre

I am really hoping this is a hoax -I know they were saying on the BBC reports that experts were noting inconsistencies with previous executions. I can't bear the thought of another senseless, horrific and tragic death in this pointless conflict

[dbt]

8. Watch this story grow anyway!

On Monday morning, you will find co-workers who know all about "another American killed by them godless ragheads" and haven't heard a word about the hoax.

Damn, I'm so old I remember when news organizations would NOT run a story without TWO corroborations.

:argh:
dbt

[Junkdrawer]

12. but..but..It was posted on an Islamic extremest website..

how much verification do you want?

[54anickel]

18. Was it? Where did this story get it's legs from? Anyone know? n/t

[Junkdrawer]

19. Here's a VOA story

A video found on an Islamist website shows what appears to be the execution of an American hostage in Iraq.

The footage shows a young man identifying himself and saying he is from San Francisco, California. He is dressed in a plain beige T-shirt and sits nervously in a chair, as he warns that other Americans will be killed if U.S. forces do not leave Iraq.

The tape then shows him being beheaded.

...

http://www.voanews.com/article.cfm?objectID=FD933EAC-FDBA-41FA-802F3167CCBF4658

[54anickel]

21. So, was it the AP? That's the source for this story. I'm really getting

sick and tired of this media rushing to propagate BS that supports the facists cause of fear-mongering without ANY verification or background checking.

Perhaps people such as Capital Hill Blue (only example I can think of right now, I'm too pissed) need to change their tactics and put their stories on some fake Islamic website. Hope you get my drift here.

[Junkdrawer]

22. Well, almost every other link to the original story...

has been replaced with a link to the hoax. Here the original LBN story..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x734337

[54anickel]

28. Thanks Junkdrawer. Looks like it was the AP again. You know what

I don't get, (maybe this has been explained elsewhere and I missed it) is the orange jump-suit question. Where are they getting them and why are they bothering with them for hostages that are being filmed? Just to get CTs (like I am rapidly becoming) going?

From another story:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040807/ap_on_re_us/american_beheaded_hoax

The videotape was posted on a militant Web site and aired on Arab television Saturday. Vanderford was clad in a T-shirt, not the orange jumpsuit that other hostages have been dressed in.

[Wright Patman]

9. I'll bet this is the same guy

that misled * into invading Iraq in the first place by telling him they had WMDs.

Darn. You take someone at his word. You think he's sincere. Instead, it winds up costing 1,000 American lives, 40,000 Iraqi lives and $200 billion in wasted spending.

[shamanstar]

10. he wanted to draw attention to his campaign????

Vanderford, 22, said he began distributing the video on the Internet months ago in hopes of drawing attention to his one-time campaign for city supervisor. When his political aspirations waned, he thought the video would serve as social commentary.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040807/ap_on_re_us/american_beheaded_hoax&cid=519&ncid=716

[DoYouEverWonder]

11. So when is Benny going to jail?

Where's Ridge and Ashcroft? Why aren't they all over this guy like stink on shit?

Staging and video taping an act of terrorism, is terrorism.

It will be interesting to see who these jerks may be connected to.

[dumpster_baby]

35. Who are you OR the FBI to say this guy cannot make a fake video??!!

What the hell is this country heading?

According to the latest propaganda reports **cough** "news stories" on this fake beheading, "FBI spokeswoman LaRae Quy said agents would pursue any and all legal avenues against Vanderford, although it would be up to the US Attorney to determine whether charges were filed."

I find this OUTRAGEOUS. This dude made a fake video and posted it to an online file sharing network, Kazaa. How the HELL is that a crime?!

DAMN, I am pissed! Why in the hell do Americans let themselves be manipulated like this?!

[dumpster_baby]

36. I support Vanderport. I think he and others ought to do this sort of thing

This is NOT a crime. If this is a crime, to make a fake beheading, and post it to Kazaa, then half of the movies in the theaters right now are criminal acts!

I really despair of the human race right now. Look at this thread. Full of all sorts of jerking knees.....It really disgusts me!

And this is the website of the "enlightened party", at least compared to the GOP.....

[Kinkistyle]

43. How about an independent movie about Terrorism?

Should ya be sent to jail for that?

[DoYouEverWonder]

13. Here's Benny's campaign website

http://66.102.7.104/search?q=cache:TH1DFyogCG0J:www.recordlabelrecords.org/ben/index2.htm+Benjamin+Vanderford&hl=en

I couldn't get through to it directly, but this is the link in the google cache.

The guy looks like a real repug sicko.





edit: Remove 'repug'.

I've poked around his website some. I'm not sure where this kid is coming from with this? He seems to be into some good causes and is let's say, very creative?

[Junkdrawer]

14. I wonder if the campaign is a hoax too...

Ben's Plans for District 5

By Bishop O'Dowd

Ben has always been one to support local decision making. That is why hes committed to be more responsive to the needs of his district then any candidate in the past. District 5, a very diverse district, has a variety of issues that Ben is looking to take care of.

-Public Transit: Ben takes public transit every day and loves it. Ben hopes to enact enhancements to public transit to make it much more aesthetically pleasing, with the overall goal of a double digit percentage increase in ridership each year.

-Parks: Ben believes parks should be one of our cities primary attractions, and should be absolutely world class. New, planned development should integrate parks much more then found currently in the city

-Housing: Ben makes a clear distinction between rental housing and home ownership housing, and calls for a balanced, sustainable mixture of both. He will do everything in his power to help all current renters become owners.

..................


At 22 years old, Ben is the youngest candidate for district supervisor.

He has been a San Francisco Bay Area resident his whole life, and is an impassioned advocate for the common good of all San Franciscans. He has never held any political office previously, and considers that one of his greatest assets.

Ben creates music for the independent label Record Label Records, as well as being an independent video game programmer.

[DoYouEverWonder]

15. It seems Vanderford wanted to make a statement

He did this on purpose to show how easy it is to fake these videos. He obviously made his point, when the corporate media picked up the story and made all the usual claims about this being another al-Zarqawi attack.


"It was part of a stunt, but no one noticed it up until now," Vanderford said. "I did this for a couple of reasons. One is to attract attention. But two is to just make a statement on these type of videos and how easily they can be faked."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5629119


DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - A group linked to al-Qaida ally Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has beheaded an American hostage in Iraq and posted a video of the killing on a Web site on Saturday."

MSNBC - has taken this info off of their website. Here's the DU link to the news report that was put out this AM.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x734337

[allemand]

16. Many Muslims already believe that Al Qaeda is not behind the attacks

This is really damaging. It will only add to their suspicion.

How stupid and reckless has one to be to do such a thing?

[DoYouEverWonder]

17. This is even more damaging for Bu$h and his shrills in the media

They are the ones that put this story out there without verifying it, and immediately blamed it on al-Zarqawi.

The kid just showed the world the bullshit the media is so willing to disseminate for this misadministration.

[54anickel]

20. Not just Muslims are suspicious. n/t

[psychopomp]

29. An SF original

Mr. Vanderford is very reckless, to be sure, but he has done us a good service by pointing out how easily the media will parrot a story without corroboration or use of language that indicates the contestable nature of the claim.

Words like "probable," "alleged," and/or "likely" have been scarcely used in the stories regarding the WOT and the Iraq war.

When the legs on this story get going we'll likely see the obligatory 10 seconds of contrition by some news companies then it will be forgotten.

[stickdog]

34. How stupid and reckless has the media been to run with every bit

of blurry footage that remotely resembles violence that's posted anonymously to a website?

[DoYouEverWonder]

23. Reuters still has the original story up

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=O5UOSB1VDQ2L4CRBAELCFFA?type=topNews&storyID=5902304&pageNumber=0


Zarqawi Group Beheads American in Iraq -Web Site
Sat Aug 7, 2004


I've posted the whole thing over in GD. Grab it while it's still up.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x2174155

[DoYouEverWonder]

25. For some reason the link isn't working properly

If you get ride of the space between .jhtml and ;jessionid it will work.

For some reason DU is adding a space there I can't get rid of.

[Junkdrawer]

26. Try this...

Link

[Dover]

24. Were they attempting to demonstrate how easy it is to create such a hoax?

How many other 'beheadings' were a hoax or were faked to cover a murder by another hand?

[Judi Lynn]

27. It seemed to work just fine, too, didn't it? Another Zarqawi strike! n/t

[Dancing_Dave]

40. Yes this was brilliant demonstration of media gullibuility-and Zarqawi?

Zarqawi is part of a hoax done by the covert operation pro's! Our great "intelligence" folks! Not just these California amateurs showing how easy it is to fool the media!

The truth about Zarqawi:
http://globalresearch.ca/articles/CHO405B.html

[absolutezero]

30. The USA Today link

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2004-08-07-video-behead_x.htm

I think the guy that did this seems a little bit nuts

"he began distributing the video on the Internet months ago in hopes of drawing attention to his one-time campaign for city supervisor. When his political aspirations waned, he thought the video would serve as social commentary."

:wtf:

[dumpster_baby]

37. if that video aint valid social commentary, then nothing is....

.....it is outrageous that democrats would demonize this guy. I would bet he is a leftist.

[Junkdrawer]

31. Kick

:kick:

[stickdog]

33. Did he do Nick Berg's video as well? (nt)

[daleo]

38. I would like to see him do a "fat Ossama" video

It would be interesting to see if a one man shoestring operation could do something more convincing than the CIA.

[Dancing_Dave]

39. We had a better little investigation of this at DU this evening...

Check this out so you get the point without me having to repeat myself to much:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x735724

All the official propaganda about "al-Qaeda beheadings in Iraq" turns out to be extremely doubtful if you carefully study the videos and other evidence--BUT IT FOOLS THE SO CALLED "NEWS". So now some bright sceptical internet generation kids show they can do a propaganda stunt as well as the CIA or MOSSAD pros--of course the FBI is pissed!

This is very deep, folks. Mark my words, there will be a deep cultural revolution over issues like this in the next few years. Right wing propaganda black ops can fool the news media and thus fool the people for awhile--BUT IN THE INTERNET AGE THIS SCAM CANNOT GO ON MUCH LONGER. There are people on the web with the research skills to blow this whole bogus "reality" we've been fed away.

Bush gave the game away when he joked at an elite fundraiser."You can't fool all of the people all of the time, but you can fool some of the people all of the time, and those are the ones you want to concentrate on."

So so the only question is: are there really enough of those total political suckers to re-elect him?

[Tight_rope]

41. Another jackass going down for doing stupid shit....n/t

[johnfunk]

44. More evidence that our credulous press, especially cable news...

... will do or run anything sensational for ratings.

BREAKING! THIS JUST IN! TV news sucks stale horse pucks!