The Muslim terrorist group ISIS, or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, has released video footage of a man being beheaded by the group, who is believed to be an American freelance journalist held hostage in Iraq for two years.
James Foley, 40, appeared Tuesday in the release of a video entitled Message to America, which was posted to social media sites by a member of ISIS.
A masked Islamic fighter also appears in the footage, with a man in an orange suit identified as the journalist kneeling by his side. Foley then proceeds to present a speech, which some believe was crafted or influenced largely by his captors.
“I call on my friends, family and loved ones to rise up against my real killers, the U.S. government,” he states. “For what will happen to me is only a result of their complacency and criminality.”
“My message to my beloved parents [is to] save me some dignity and don’t accept any meager compensation for my death from the same people who effectively hit the last nail in my coffin with their recent aerial campaign in Iraq,” Foley continues, then appeals to his brother, John, who serves in the U.S. military. “Think about the lives you destroy, including those of your own family. Think about who made the decision to bomb Iraq recently and kill those people, whoever they may have been. I guess all in all, I wish I wasn’t American.”
The ISIS fighter also issues a warning in the video to anyone that might interfere with Islamic rule, including to Barack Obama.
“Today, your military air force is attacking us daily in Iraq,” he says. “You’re no longer fighting an insurgency. We are an Islamic army and a state that has been accepted by a large number of Muslims
the Muslims their rights of living in safety under the Islamic caliphate will result in the bloodshed of your people,” the masked terrorist warns.
He then proceeds to decapitate Foley.
TIME Journalist Steven Joel Sotloff, who has been missing since last year, also appears in the video footage as threats are made that he will meet the same fate if the U.S. continues airstrikes on the Muslim group.
“The life of this American citizen, Obama, depends on your next decision,” the ISIS fighter declares.
Foley’s mother, Diane, released a statement following word of her son’s death.
“We have never been prouder of our son, Jim. He gave his life trying to expose the world to the suffering of the Syrian people,” she said. “We thank Jim for all the joy he gave us. He was an extraordinary son, brother, journalist and person.”
“We implore the kidnappers to spare the lives of the remaining hostages. Like Jim, they are innocents,” Foley stated. “They have no control over American government policy in Iraq, Syria or anywhere in the world.”
As previously reported, ISIS members also released video footage threatening the U.S. on Monday, the day before Foley’s execution was posted online. The short, 45-second video contained the message “We will drown all of you in blood” and simulated blood splattering an American flag.
Killer of US journalist Foley ‘could be British’ – UK PM
British Prime Minister David Cameron has said that the person involved in the beheading of US journalist James Foley looked “increasingly likely” to be a British citizen, though the man has not been identified.
“We have not identified the individual responsible on the video but from what we've seen it looks increasingly likely that it is a British citizen. Now this is deeply shocking,” Cameron told reporters on Wednesday.
James Foley was kidnapped in Syria at Thanksgiving in 2012 while working for the GlobalPost agency. In the video entitled 'A message to the US', the 40-year-old journalist denounces his country of birth with a knife to his neck through a speech presumably written by his captors – the Islamic State (IS, formerly known as ISIS) militants, who posted the video on YouTube.
At the end of the film, another US journalist who disappeared in August last year, Steven Joel Sotloff is paraded on camera as Foley’s killer states: “The life of this American citizen, Obama, depends on your next decision.”
The authenticity of the video was confirmed by the White House on Wednesday morning.
“We have reached the judgment that this video is authentic,” National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden said.
Before Cameron made his statements, British media widely identified the speaker in the Islamic State video as speaking with a British accent.
The Daily Mail, Telegraph and Guardian all recognized the masked militant’s accent to be southern English, and intelligence agencies are reportedly attempting to ascertain the identity of the man.
UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond recognized the possibility and the potential danger in the situation on Wednesday.
“We're absolutely aware that there are significant numbers of British nationals involved in terrible crimes, probably in the commission of atrocities, making jihad with IS and other extremists organizations,” Hammond told the BBC.
“This is something we have been tracking and dealing with for many, many months and I don't think this video changes anything…it just heightens awareness of a situation which is very grave.”
On the other hand, in his Wednesday remarks PM Cameron ruled out the possibility of immediate UK intervention in Iraq.
“I’ve been very clear this country is not going to get involved in another Iraq war,” he said. “We’re not going to put combat troops, combat boots on the ground.”
Source:
http://rt.com/uk/181728-foley-cameron-uk-isis/
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