Islamic State Leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi Appears in Public

At the Los Angeles Times, "Islamic State leader exhorts fellow Sunnis to join him":

The secretive head of the Islamic State militant group has made what appears to be his first public appearance, purportedly speaking from a mosque in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, according to a video posted online Saturday.

The video, uploaded by supporters to websites, including YouTube, appears to show Abu Bakr Baghdadi, chief of the Islamic State, an Al Qaeda offshoot, leading prayers in the Grand Mosque in Mosul, which was overrun by insurgents last month as part of an offensive across northern Iraq. The Islamic State stands at the forefront of a Sunni Muslim uprising that threatens the U.S.-backed Iraqi government in Baghdad...