Two days ago, Islamic State militants ISIS released a video purportedly showing this little boy executing a captured Israeli-Arab soldier, 19 year old Muhammad Said Ismail Musallam. But now, after reviewing the footage, some security experts believe the boy was only used for propaganda and wasn't the one who pulled the trigger
The experts said heavy editing used to produce the film means it is likely he never pulled the trigger himself and was instead filmed only for scenes to be edited in and around Mr Musallam's death.
From UK Daily Mail...
The film shows Mr Musallam describing how he was sent by Israeli intelligence to infiltrate ISIS in Syria, where the group claim he was captured last year.
Wearing an orange jumpsuit, the hostage is later seen kneeling at the feet of two uniformed militants..
The film, like many ISIS execution videos, cuts away without actually showing his killing, and the scene purporting to show the moment of execution is filmed from behind the shooter to avoid identifying him.
During this scene, the shooter's hand is visible and it clearly appears to be one which belongs to an adult, not a 10-year-old boy.
It also replicates the editing techniques seen in a video released last month in which the extremists claimed a boy had killed two Russian spies.
The authenticity of this can also be seriously questioned given a complete lack of evidence implicating the child.
Instead of a shocking child-murder, all signs point to the video being a product of the ISIS propaganda machine aimed at luring disillusioned westerners to join their ranks.
Earlier yesterday Twitter accounts linked to the terror group shared preview clips of the video, which have not been independently verified.
Islamic State claimed Mr Musallam had posed as a foreign fighter when he joined their ranks last year but later confessed to being an agent for Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency.
Sickening: Mr Musallam appears to be shot three more times as he lies dying on the ground
Slick: In the first part of the video, Mr Musallam is seen describing how he was recruited by Israeli intelligence
It starts with an animated 'fact file' of Mr Musallam - complete with what appears to be a picture of the inside of his passport - that claims to show his home address and profession.
The video, apparently filmed on a number of cameras, shows Mr Musallam wearing an orange jumpsuit similar to those worn by hostages featured in previous ISIS videos.
Speaking in Arabic, the young man remains calm and controlled as he tells of how he was recruited by a neighbour who worked for the Israeli police. The entire video is subtitled in English.
He says that his father and brother both encouraged him to take up the position, pointing out there would be opportunity to progress in the organisation.
The parents of Israeli-Arab Muhammad Musallam sit next to a framed portrait of their son, who was captured by ISIS for allegedly spying for Mossad. They claimed he fled to Syria to join Islamic State militants
