Beirut – An Internet video posted online Tuesday purported to show the beheading of U.S. journalist Steven Sotloff by the Islamic State group, which called it retribution for continued U.S. airstrikes in Iraq.
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Sotloff, 31, who freelanced for Time and Foreign Policy magazines, had last been seen in Syrian in August 2013 until he appeared in a video released online last month by the Islamic State group that showed the beheading of fellow American journalist James Foley.
Dressed in an orange jumpsuit against the backdrop of an arid Syrian landscape, Sotloff was threatened in that video with death unless the U.S. stopped airstrikes on the group in Iraq.
In the video distributed Tuesday and entitled “A Second Message to America,” Sotloff appears in a similar jumpsuit before he was purportedly beheaded by an Islamic State fighter.
The Associated Press could not immediately verify the video’s authenticity. The SITE Intelligence Group, a U.S. terrorism watchdog, first reported about the video’s existence.
The fighter who beheads Sotloff in the video called it retribution for Obama’s continued airstrikes against the group in Iraq.
“I’m back, Obama, and I’m back because of your arrogant foreign policy towards the Islamic State … despite our serious warnings,” the fighter said.
At the end of the video, he threatened to kill a third captive, a Briton, David Cathorne Haines.
Sotloff’s mother had pleaded for his release last week in a video directed at the Islamic State group.
Addressing the leader of the Islamic State group by name, Shirley Sotloff said in a video her son was “an innocent journalist” who shouldn’t pay for U.S. government actions in the Middle East over which he has no control.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said he wasn’t immediately aware of the purported Sotloff video and wasn’t in a position to confirm its authenticity.
“This is something that the administration has obviously been watching very carefully,” Earnest said. “Our thoughts and prayers first and foremost are with Mr. Sotloff and Mr. Sotloff’s family and those who worked with him.”
A man who answered a phone listed in the name of Sotloff’s sister hung up when called by the AP.
Boroch Dayan Ha’emet!
The group called ISIS, are worse than savages from the jungle. They are worse than headhunters, which still exist in some remote jungle areas of the world.
Jews, including journalists and businessmen, should stay away from these horrible areas. Enough Jewish blood has been spilled by terrorists all over the world!
this was a Jewish man …. american Jews were silent, Israel was silent. nothing posted on him from any frum or Jewish site for weeks, even though the Miami Herald wrote of this impending situation for at least two weeks. He was originally from Miami. why the silence among the Jews?
Time for another round of Golf, Mr. Hussein Obama
Baruch Dayan Emes.
May his neshama have an aliyah.
Is the press and the world for that matter still going to call these monsters ‘militants’ not terrorists? What’s the difference between ISIS and hamas?! They both target and kill civilians. Just isis is more ‘succefful’ at it.
This is an example of Islam that should be publicized throughout the world. They plan on taking over the world and imposing Shria law, which apparantly has beheadings as one of it’s tenents. Beware the so called “religion of peace”.
To #9 :
You are living in a fantasy world. Obama is all talk no action or strategy. He’s an orator not a leader. Wish he stayed a professor. There hasn’t been this much chaos in the world since I can remember(syria, indonisia,ukraine, lybia, etc etc) so his ‘careful and quiet’ moves as you say is a complete failure as his presidency is!