in absentia by a Jordanian court in 2006 Inciting sectarian violence Alleged sectarian attacks by the organization included the Imam Ali Mosque bombing in 2003 and the 2004 Day of Ashura bombings (Ashoura massacre) and Karbala and Najaf bombings in 2004. These were precursors to a more widespread campaign of sectarian violence after the organization transitioned to become al-Qaida in Iraq, with Al-Zarqawi purportedly declaring an all-out war on Shias, while claiming responsibility for the Shia mosque bombings. Beheading/killing non-Iraqi hostages May 7, 2004: Nick Berg, American civilian beheaded. A video of the killing was published on the Internet; the CIA said it was likely that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi personally had wielded the knife June 22, 2004: Kim Sun-il, South Korean civilian, executed by beheading. July 8, 2004: Georgi Lazov and Ivaylo Kepov, Bulgarian civilians beheaded August 2, 2004: Murat Yuce, Turkish civilian shot dead, by Abu Ayyub al-Masri. September 13, 2004: Durmus Kumdereli, Turkish civilian beheaded September 20, 2004: Eugene Armstrong, American civilian beheaded. Presumably claimed by Zarqawi and his men. Some sources claimed it was done by Al-Zarqawi personally. It was shown in Fitna, a LiveLeak film in 2008. September 21, 2004: Jack Hensley, American civilian beheaded. Presumably by Zarqawi and his men. October 7, 2004: Kenneth Bigley, British civilian beheaded. Presumably by Zarqawi and his men. October 29, 2004: Shosei Koda, Japanese civilian beheaded. An Islamist website that was used by al-Zarqawi's group had posted video of Koda shortly after the abduction. The Turkish translator Aytullah Gezmen was also abducted by Jama'at, but released after "repenting." U.S. fighting Jama'at In September 2004, the U.S. conducted many airstrikes targeting Al-Zarqawi, calling the hunt for Al-Zarqawi its "highest priority". Legacy The group pledged allegiance to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network in a letter in October 2004 and changed its name to Tanzim Qaidat al-Jihad fi Bilad al-Rafidayn. That same month, the group, now popularly referred to as al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), kidnapped and killed Japanese citizen Shosei Koda. In November, al-Zarqawi's network was the main target of the US Operation Phantom Fury in Fallujah, but its leadership managed to escape the American siege and subsequent storming of the city. The Lebanese-Palestinian militant group Fatah al-Islam, which was defeated by Lebanese government forces during the 2007 Lebanon conflict, was linked to AQI and led by al-Zarqawi's former companion who had fought alongside him in Iraq. The group may have been