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A webcast that sparks disbelief
12/05/2004 17:27 - (SA)
Bryan Porter
Cape Town - When News24's technical team tracked down the webcast purported to be of Iraqis beheading a US businessman, it wasn't being shown on an "al-Qaeda-linked" site.
It was one of several "mirrors" of the original that have found their way into the darkest corners of the net.
The crisp cinematic realism of Hollywood-action special effects are nowhere near as gruesome as watching a half-screen, low-resolution display of five men in balaclavas hacking off the head of an apparently lifeless man in orange overalls.
In blurred, staggered images, five armed men in balaclavas line up behind the kneeling man in orange overalls.
The man standing left of centre draws out what looks like a short butcher's knife in his right hand, and puts it to the kneeling man's neck.
His left hand jerks the man's head violently to one side, forcing him on to the ground.
Pool of blood spreads slowly
As the man lies, face down, the attacker stands over him and pulls back his head.
For the following couple of seconds, shouts of "Allahu Akbar" ("God is great") are barely discernible on the scratchy soundtrack as the knife works its way through the man's neck, a pool of blood spreading slowly across the floor.
The lifeless body of the man in the orange overalls is still.
After slicing quickly at first, the knife meets with resistance, and takes several seconds of forceful strokes to completely sever the head.
In a sweeping arc, the man's head is raised triumphantly as the cries grow in volume.
The webcast ends with the twisted, bearded face of the man in the orange overalls staring blankly under the grip of his attacker.
The lasting sensation after watching the webcast is not one of anger, or of feeling sickened. It is a feeling of sheer disbelief and numbness.
News24 has shown the pictures leading up the beheading in our picture galleries. (Click here to see these). We decided not to show the pictures of the actual beheading, as these gruesome images were horrific and added no additional news value to a story that was already shocking.
- News24
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