Johnson's beheading confirmed
2004-06-18 21:43
Washington - US national Paul Johnson's death was confirmed on Friday by a Saudi embassy official who requested that he not be named.
Meanwhile, Saudi security forces deployed in large numbers in a district of east Riyadh night amid reports that his body whose beheading was announced by al-Qaeda, had been dumped there.
An AFP correspondent in the Al-Munisiyeh neighbourhood saw dozens of security men, but there was no immediate confirmation that a body was found.
"Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula" earlier posted gruesome pictures on Islamist websites showing a beheaded Johnson, with his head placed on his back as he lay in a pool of blood.
- AFP