Jewish-American journalist Steve Sotloff beheaded, footage reveals; third journalist threatened, this time a British citizen.
In the video, entitled “A Second Message to America,” Sotloff appears in a similar jumpsuit to Foley’s before he is beheaded by an Islamic State terrorist. IS had threatened to kill the freelancer unless the US ceased its airstrikes on the terror group in Iraq.
Sotloff states he is “paying the price” for the US intervention in Iraq with his life before being murdered.
“You’ve spent billions of U.S. tax payers dollars and we’ve lost thousands of our troops in our previous fighting against the Islamic State,” Sotfloff adds, USA Today reports. “So where is the people’s interest in reigniting this war?”
Just moments later, an IS terrorist in black directly addresses US President Barack Obama.
“I’m back, Obama, and I’m back because of your arrogant foreign policy towards the Islamic State,” the man says. Several reports say the man has the same accent and characteristic as the “John of London” reportedly responsible for the Foley murder.
The terrorists have now threatened abducted civilian David Cawthorne Haines of the UK with death as well, ending the video with threats to his life until “this evil alliance of America against the Islamic State” ends immediately. Haines, like Foley and Sotloff, is clad in an orange prison jumpsuit.
US response
White House spokesperson Josh Earnest spoke moments after the video aired.
“This is something that the administration has obviously been watching very carefully since this threat against Mr. Sotloff’s life was originally made a few weeks ago,” Earnest said.
“Our thoughts and prayers first and foremost are with Mr. Sotloff and Mr. Sotloff’s family and those who worked with him.”
Earnest added that he could not confirm, nor deny, the validity of the video.
State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki stated that several intelligence agencies will “work as quickly as possible” to determine whether it is authentic.
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