Al-Zarqawi's group claims responsibility for killing Japanese hostage

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who leads a militant group affiliated with the al-Qaida network, on Tuesday claimed that his group is responsible for the murder of Japanese hostage Shosei Koda, while repeating demands that Japan pull its troops out of Iraq.

According to Kyodo News, al-Zarqawi claimed the responsibility in a statement posted on a website. The group also released video footage on the website showing Koda being beheaded by three masked men as he knelt on an American flag with his hands tied behind his back.

In the statement, al-Zarqawi also said the Japanese government had offered to pay ransom for his release.

Koda's body was found in Baghdad Saturday night.

In video footage released last week, the militant group had threatened to behead Koda within 48 hours unless Japan withdrew its troops, who are deployed in the southern Iraqi city of Samawah.