Ronald Schulz

A man shown as a hostage on an insurgent video aired on Middle Eastern television is “my brother, there’s no question about that,” a North Dakota man said this morning.

The man shown in the video is Ronald Schulz, 40, an industrial electrician who has worked in Iraq, said Ed Schulz, of Arvilla.

He said he last spoke with his brother on Nov. 4, when Ronald Schulz was at his home in Anchorage, Alaska.

The video, broadcast Tuesday by the Arab television network Al-Jazeera, claimed insurgents had kidnapped a U.S. security consultant, and displayed a blond, Western-looking man sitting with his hands tied behind his back. The video bore the logo of the insurgent Islamic Army.

An extremist group has posted a video it says shows North Dakota native Ronald Schulz being shot in the back of the head.

The video was said to be posted by the Islamic Army of Iraq. It did not show the face of the man killed, and it's impossible to identify him conclusively.

In Jamestown, Schulz' sister, Julie, says the family is still waiting for confirmation.

The video showed the victim blindfolded and kneeling with his back to the camera and his hands tied behind his back when he was shot.

In a separate piece of film, shown on a split screen as the killing was aired, the extremist group showed a picture of the 40-year-old Schulz, a former Marine. The group aired the same footage of Schulz when he was first taken hostage earlier this month.

The group said it killed Schulz after the United States failed to respond to its demand for the release of Iraqi prisoners.

Schulz is a native of Jamestown and a civilian contractor from Eagle River, Alaska.