SOFIA, Aug 9 (AFP) - Bulgaria confirmed Monday that a video appearing on the Internet showed Islamic extremists decapitating a man but could not yet identify the victim as a Bulgarian kidnapped last month.
"Because of the poor quality of the video, it's impossible to say anything definite about the person executed," said Deputy Foreign Minister Gergana Grancharova.
One kidnapped Bulgarian truck driver was beheaded last month, while the fate of a second remains unknown.
On the video, which appeared on the Internet on Monday, Islamic extremists claiming to be activists involved in killings and hostage-takings in Iraq are shown beheading a man they say is a Bulgarian hostage.
The ministry declined comment on the video content "so as not to become an instrument in the hands of the terrorists, and also to respect the feelings of the victims' relatives," BTA news agency quoted Grancharova as saying.
Two Bulgarian truck drivers were kidnapped on July 8 by a group led by the Jordanian Abu Moussab al-Zarqaoui, linked to Al-Qaeda.
One, Georgy Lazov, aged 30, was beheaded on July 13.
The fate of the second, 32 year-old Ivailo Kepov, is still unknown.
It is thought a body recovered near the northern town of Mosul might be that of Kepov, but Iraqi and Bulgarian forensic experts have not yet confirmed the identity.
An ultimatum for Kepov's execution expired almost a month ago.
The Bulgarian government said on July 14 it would continue to maintain a 470-man military force in Iraq despite hostage-taking and continued instability in the country.