( CNN ) -- A Western security contractor was brutally assaulted in southern Iraq this week by a Shiite mob after he reportedly insulted their sect of Islam . A 10-minute video circulating on social media sites showed an angry mob of men carrying metal rods , a pickax and other sharp objects attacking the car the man was in , smashing the glass and dragging him out . More than a dozen men are seen beating the man , who pleaded for the attackers to stop as blood streamed down his face . The security contractor 's condition was unclear on Wednesday . According to local media reports , the man was identified as a British security consultant from the UK-based private security firm G4S contracted by the oil services company Schlumberger at Iraq 's Rumeilah oil field , the country 's largest . The man reportedly tore down flags with the images of two of Shiite Islam 's most revered imams -- Imam Ali and Imam Hussein -- that Iraqi staff had placed on a company car on Monday . The security contractor appeared to be wearing a G4S T-shirt in the video . Neither G4S nor Schlumberger has responded to CNN 's requests for comment on the incident . Among the attackers were Iraqi guards from the Canada-based security company Garda World , which has an office in the United States . A spokesman for Garda World confirmed to CNN that some of its employees were involved in the incident . `` Garda World employees were not involved in the initial incident , '' Joe Gavaghan , a company spokesman , told CNN on Wednesday . `` But during subsequent disturbance a small number of local national employees took part . '' Gavaghan said Garda World was working with `` the client '' and local authorities to investigate the incident . `` We take this issue seriously and are well aware of cultural sensitivities ... We do not tolerate inappropriate behavior , '' he said . A number of Iraqi men , including Garda World guards , are seen later in the video trying to stop the assault by the mob that at times chanted Shiite slogans . Amid the chaos at the end of the video , a member of the Iraqi security forces appears on the scene as the man was dragged away before the clip ended . The British Foreign Office told CNN on Wednesday they were aware of `` an incident '' and `` are providing consular assistance . '' According to a statement by the Basra local government , Gov . Majed al-Nasrawi met with senior local security and oil officials on Tuesday about the incident . In that meeting , according to the statement , the governor stated that religious symbols are a `` red line that can not be crossed . '' While rejecting what they described as `` violations , '' local officials called on all parties to `` resort to logic and wisdom and allow the security forces and the judiciary to take their natural course in this case , '' the statement said . The incident took place as Shiite Muslims prepare to observe Ashura , one of the holiest days in the Shiite calendar marking the death of Imam Hussain , a 7th century imam and the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed . For decades under Saddam Hussein and his Sunni Arab dominated regime , the Shiite majority in Iraq were banned from practicing their religious rituals . Over the past decade since the fall of the regime , Shiite banners and flags with the images of Shiite figures have become more visible in Shiite-dominated areas of the country . CNN 's Ashleigh Cowie in London and Salma Abdelaziz in Atlanta contributed to this report .
A mob of men drags a contractor out of a car and beats him , a video shows . The contractor allegedly tore down flags of important imams , local media report . The British man 's condition is unknown ; the British Foreign office is aware of the incident . - May : In Pakistan, two people are killed in an attack on a bus carrying Shiite pilgrims to Karbala.