SHADOWY FIGURE

Video Claims to Show ISIS Leader in Iraq

In a rare, if not first, public appearance.

A video posted Saturday claims to show the leader of ISIS, the Islamic State extremist group that has overrun cities in Iraq and Syria, in a rare (if not first) public appearance. The man in the video, allegedly ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, is shown delivering a sermon at a mosque in Iraq. Wearing a black robe and turban and speaking eloquent classical Arabic, the man in the video says, "It is a burden to accept this responsibility to be in charge of you. I am not better than you or more virtuous than you. If you see me on the right path, help me. If you see me on the wrong path, advise me and halt me. And obey me as far as I obey God." The video was released on two websites frequently used by ISIS but the man’s identity has yet to be independently confirmed.