A photograph of what Islamic militants claimed was a captured US soldier may be instead a toy figure sold at US military bases in the Middle East, the toy's manufacturer has said.
The photograph was posted on an Islamic website, showing a soldier seated on the ground with a gun pointed at his head.
The figure in the photograph is wearing a desert camouflage uniform and a vest, and appears stiff and expressionless. A gun is seen pointing at the figure's head.
In a statement accompanying the photograph, an Islamist group calling itself the "Mujahedeen Squadrons - Iraq" claimed to have taken a US soldier hostage in Iraq and threatened to kill him unless Iraqis held in US prisons were freed within 72 hours.
However, a Pentagon official says no US soldiers have been reported missing.
A spokesman for Dragon Models USA says the figure in the photograph resembles "Cody", an action figure based on US special forces soldiers fighting in Iraq.
"For us, it bears a striking resemblance," spokesman Liam Cusack said from the company's headquarters in City of Industry, California.
A Pentagon official said: "We're not aware of anyone missing right now.
"Having said that, we're looking to confirm that no one's missing. Until that's complete it would be premature to comment."
Several Internet journalists pointed out the similarities between the soldier in the photograph and Cody. A retailer alerted Dragon Models USA.
"We want the proper authorities to check it out," Mr Cusack said, noting that the facial features, uniform and equipment on the figure in the picture are similar to their product.
"Even the boots are the same shade as the action figure we made," he said.
The company shipped thousands of the limited-edition figures more than a year ago to US military exchanges outside the United States, including in Kuwait and elsewhere in the Middle East, he said.
