Alleged Photo of U.S. Soldier Held in Iraq Appears to be a Hoax
By Evan Kohlmann
Update: I will be a guest on Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC at 8:15PM EST tonight to discuss the apparent hostage photo hoax.
The mainstream media has jumped on the purported story of "John Adam" -- a U.S. soldier allegedly taken prisoner by a little known Iraqi insurgent group known as the "Mujahideen Squadrons." A quick analysis of the photo released of "John Adam" shows that it is likely just a hoax:
1.) The soldier is seen seated in front of the trademark rising sun banner of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's Al-Qaida faction in Iraq. Yet, this was not the group that took credit for the kidnapping. In fact, no credible representative from Zarqawi's group has yet taken credit for this kidnapping. The albeit-blurry words inscribed on the banner seem to be poorly written--perhaps suggesting that they were conceived by someone who is only a novice in the Arabic language.
2.) As pointed out by several colleagues, the boots and uniform worn by "John Adam" are not standard U.S. military issue. The name patch on his uniform, which should read ADAM, isn't visible either.
3.) The photo itself shows obvious signs of having been sloppily edited. "John's" face is marked by jagged, digital features and a chin line that is distinctly non-human. Notice that the left side of his chin runs in varying, contrasting sizes, demarcated by precise perpendicular lines. See image below:
