Iraq: A videotape posted on the Internet on Friday purportedly
by the al-Qaeda in Iraq showed how the terror group carried out the October
24 suicide attacks on two Baghdad hotels that killed 17 Iraqi pedestrians and
security guards.
The footage showed the attackers rehearsing how to carry out the attack, with the commander giving directions to the would-be suicide bombers as they ride in a car together.
There is also footage of the bombing itself, as filmed by the al-Qaeda.
The 13-minute video is called Badr Raid, after a famous victory by Prophet Mohammad. Its authenticity could not be verified but it appeared on an Islamic website known for publishing messages from militant groups.
As a religious song plays in the background, the video shows a hand pointing through a car window to indicate the routes to the targets - Palestine and Sheraton hotels.
The voice of the attack's commander, identified only as a 'military official', gives directions to the three bombers.
In another part of the video, one of the bombers Abu Naiem walks toward the Honda van that he drove in the attack. The other bomber, Abu Dahan, is seen driving the cement mixer truck that was the vehicle that exploded closest to the two hotels.
On the video, the commander said the cement truck carried the biggest amount of explosives.
As it turned out, the cement truck failed to get close enough to inflict structural damage on the hotels.
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The US military said that a video from a hotel surveillance camera showed the cement mixer was fired on by a US soldier inside the compound.
The vehicle also was seen rocking back and forth, apparently stuck on something, before it exploded. But these events are not mentioned on the video.
In a statement at the end of the video tape, an unidentified speaker says, "With God's help, the holy warriors of the al-Qaeda in Iraq managed to strike the Palestine Hotel, which was occupied by foreign journalists and security companies that protect institutions and personalities."
The speaker also claims to know who was staying at the Sheraton Hotel at the time of the attack.
"The first three floors are occupied by the Centre for drafting the Constitution, three other floors are occupied by assassination teams and an intelligence group for collecting information, and the sixth floor is occupied by more than 50 American soldiers," the speaker says.
The final scene on the video tape showed the attack under way with a subtitle in Arabic saying "the holy warriors are watching the execution of the raid".
The voices of men shouting "Allah hu-Akbar", or God is Great, is heard as a big cloud of smoke rises from the scene.
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