James Foley beheaded
In August 2014 Islamic State released a video titled “A Message to America” purporting to show the beheading of American journalist James Foley, 40, who had been missing since being kidnapped in Syria in November 2012. Foley’s family confirmed his death. The video showed Foley in an orange jumpsuit beside a masked militant, who spoke with a British accent and linked the killing to US air strikes in Iraq. Another captive, Steven Sotloff, was shown with a warning that his fate depended on US decisions.
ABC News reported Foley’s family statement that he “gave his life trying to expose the world to the suffering of the Syrian people.” ABC also reported Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott describing the beheading as “evil … as near to pure evil as we are ever likely to see” and as a sign there could be “no compromise whatsoever with the murderous terrorists” of Islamic State.
The BBC reported that UK and US officials reacted to the video with horror, pending confirmation that it was genuine. US officials later treated it as authentic.
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