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Four arrested over beheading of US businessman in Iraq

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Four people have been arrested over the beheading of US businessman Nicholas Berg, whose killing was shown earlier this month in a video on an Al-Qaeda linked website, a senior Iraqi source said.

Asked if more than one person had been arrested in connection with the killing, the source told AFP: "Yes, four people."

Berg's beheading was shown on a grainy video posted on the Islamic website linked to Osama bin Laden (news - web sites)'s terror network, days after his body was found in Baghdad on May 8.

"We have made good progress," the source added, referring to the investigation, but declined to give any details on the identity of the four people held in detention.

But it was understood that none of the four included Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi, who US authorities believe carried out the killing of the 26-year-old who was in Iraq (news - web sites) to drum up business for his small telecommunications company.

The tape of Berg's killing was entitled "Abu Mussab al-Zarqawi slaughtering an American", referring to the Jordanian militant, linked to Al-Qaeda and wanted over a string of attacks in Iraq.

The video showed Berg's decapitation by one of five masked men. Iraqi sources would not say whether any of the four suspects in custody were among them, or whether the detainees were linked to the case in another way.

Berg's captors said his killing was revenge for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners at the hands of US troops, which shocked the world and undermined Washington's claim to be the liberators of Iraq.

The slain Jewish American was buried Friday in a private ceremony near his Pennsylvania home.

His family have blamed his death on US President George W. Bush (news - web sites)'s administration.

US Attorney General John Ashcroft (news - web sites) has vowed to keep up the hunt for the killers who made a video.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20040518/ts_afp/iraq_us_beheading_arrest&cid=1503&ncid=1478