Iraq Al-Qaeda leader appears on tape

Cairo: The leader of al-Qaeda in Iraq has purportedly appeared in video as the executioner of a Turkish hostage - making his first appearance since taking over the group in June - according to a statement posted with the recording on the Internet.

The items were posted on Friday night just after Iraq announced that Ramadan would begin on Saturday.

The statement said the recording, the authenticity of which could not be independently verified, was "old," but gave no other indication about when it was made.

Abu Ayyoub al-Masri, also known as Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, assumed leadership of al-Qaida in Iraq after Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was slain in a June 7 US airstrike.