Al-Qaida: U.S. Embassy employee executed in Baghdad

An Al-Qaida group said on the extremist Islamic Web site that it had killed an employee of the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. But the Embassy doubts in claim's validity.

On the site, the Islamic State of Iraq claimed the execution of an embassy "official" it identified as Zaher Abdel Mohsin Abdel-Saheb took place Saturday as revenge for "the Muslim women who are still captives in the prisons of Shiites and crusaders."

The Arabic-language statement was signed by the Ministry of Information of the Islamic State of Iraq.

The veracity of the claim could not be independently verified and the U.S. Embassy said it was "checking records."

"However, at this time it appears there is no record for a person by the name of Zaher Abdel Mohsin Abdel-Saheb who worked - or ever has worked - at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad," the Embassy told The AP in an e-mailed statement.