The militant group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi claimed responsibility on Tuesday for the beheading of a Japanese backpacker in a Web posting that included gruesome video of the killing.  In the statement on an Islamist Web site, the al-Qaida-affiliated group said the Japanese government offered “millions of dollars” in ransom for the safe return of Shosei Koda, whose decapitated body was found wrapped in an American flag in northwestern Baghdad on Saturday. “The world should know, from east to west, north to south that al-Qaida is firm on its jihad, God willing, in spite of the Japanese government offering a ransom of millions of dollars,” the statement said.Full Story