Nick Berg decapitation video: analysis, part 2
As observed in the previous article in this series, the Berg decapitation video is comprised of six separate, discontinuous shots edited together. Three of these shots show on-screen timestamps of the form “2:xx:xx”; the other three of the form “13:xx:xx”.
One interpretation of the timestamp differences is that two separate cameras were in use. To help examine this theory, we have assembled a timeline showing the apparent periods shot by each camera.
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| Camera A | Camera B |
|---|
Both diagrams use the same scale, representing just under 30 minutes, with tick marks every 60 seconds. The red bars show the period filmed by each camera, as reported by the on-screen timestamps.
It’s fairly clear from the timelines that:
- There’s a gap of anywhere up to about 20 minutes between Nick’s statement and the beginning of the speech
- There are definitely some significant gaps missing from the decapitation sequence
The obvious question is, how do the two timelines relate? Given the sequence of events, the only possible arrangement would appear to be something like this:
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| Cameras A & B |
|---|
The longest shot on Camera A is the bulk of the attack. Clearly this must occur after the long shot on Camera B (the speech), but before the 2 second Camera B sequence (Nick’s head held aloft).
Note that during the 1:46 gap in Camera B’s coverage of the decapitation, only 45 seconds of footage is shown from Camera A. This means that there’s approximately 60 seconds of footage missing between the end of the long speech sequence (the beginning of the attack), and the point where the decapitation has clearly been completed.
What we can’t tell from the evidence here is whether the missing 60 seconds occurred before the decapitation (in which case it might have shown an aborted decapitation attempt, or possibly the moment of Nick’s death), or after (which would give the white- and black-hooded assailants time to change places), or both.
Next: the missing blood found.