ISIS DID IT AGAIN: Isis video claims to show beheading of US journalist Steven Sotloff
The Site Intel group, which monitors terrorist propaganda and first reported details of the apparent beheading, said Sotloff appeared to have been killed by the same Islamic State (Isis) fighter who beheaded another American journalist, James Foley, two weeks ago.
The killer, who speaks in British-accented English, then threatens to murder a British hostage.
US officials said intelligence experts had begun work on establishing the authenticity of the video. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the US had seen “reports of a video that purports to be of the murder” of Sotloff.
“The intelligence community will work as quickly as possible to determine its authenticity,” she said. “If the video is genuine, we are sickened by this brutal act taking the life of another innocent American citizen. Our hearts go out to the Sotloff family.”
A version of the purported video, seen by the Guardian, was entitled: “A second message to America.” Sotloff appears on his knees – his hands tied behind his back – beside a man holding a serrated knife, reminiscent of the one shown in the Foley video.
The masked fighter indicated he was the same man who murdered Foley, saying: “I’m back, Obama, and I’m back because of your arrogant foreign policy toward the Islamic State.”
The video was recorded in desolate desert landscape, which looked similar, if not the same, to the location in which Foley was murdered. The latest video showed a flatter terrain. It is unclear when it was made, but it appears to be recent: the masked killer makes reference to recent US bombings in Iraq, including the airstrikes near Amerli that began on Saturday. Sotloff’s hair and his beard are also longer than in the Foley video, in which Sotloff also appeared.
In the latest video, Sotloff is dressed in an orange jumpsuit, apparently mimicking the ones once used at Guantánamo Bay, and is made to deliver a statement blaming Obama for his murder. The killer states: “You, Obama, have yet again, through your actions, killed yet another American citizen.” He then appears to slice Sotloff’s throat.
The black-masked killer again urges Obama to cease his bombing campaign in Iraq, and says that if the US does not cease bombing, “our knife will continue to strike the necks of your people”.
The warning is extended to governments that might join the the “evil” actions of the US against Isis. It is around this point that the video cuts to another kneeling captive, stated to be a British national.
British intelligence officials have been working urgently to try to identify Foley’s killer, reportedly using sophisticated voice recognition techniques to help narrow down a list of potential British jihadi suspects.
The administration revealed two weeks ago that US special operations forces conducted a risky and ultimately unsuccessful raid inside Syriaintended to free American hostages, who were determined to not be at the location targeted.
Administration officials have discussed US hostages held by Isis in plural terms, but have never confirmed that Sotloff or any other specific person was intended to be freed.
However on Tuesday, in brief, off-the-cuff remarks delivered as news of the Sotloff beheading video was breaking, the White House press secretary Josh Earnest appeared to indicate the 31-year-old may have been among the hostages Washington tried to free.
“The United States has ... dedicated significant time and resources to try and rescue Mr Sotloff,” Earnest said.
Last week Sotloff’s mother, Shirley Sotloff, made a direct plea to the leader of Isis, urguing him to spare her son’s life. “I am sending this message to you, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi al-Quraishi al-Hussaini, the caliph of the Islamic State. I am Shirley Sotloff. My son Steven is in your hands,” she said in a video posted on the New York Times website. “You, the caliph, can grant amnesty. I ask you please to release my child. I ask you to use your authority to spare his life.”
She added: “As a mother, I ask your justice to be merciful and not punish my son for matters he has no control over. I ask you to use your authority to spare his life and to follow the example set by the Prophet Muhammad, who protected People of the Book. I want what every mother wants, to live to see her children’s children, I plead with you to grant me this.”
Shirley Sotloff recorded the plea after the video of Foley’s killing last month was released. In it, Foley’s killer said her son would be next in line if the militant group’s demands were not met.
Tuesday’s video followed a similar pattern. It finished with footage of the British hostage, in the same style of orange jumpsuit that both Foley and Sotloff were wearing, suggesting he was their next intended victim.
Finally, with the Briton still in shot, the masked killer states: “Back off and leave our people alone.”
As of Monday, the US had conducted 123 airstrikes against Isis positions, artillery and vehicles since 8 August. The campaign has now extended to providing humanitarian relief to besieged Shia Turkmen in the Iraqi city of Amerli, a weekend expansion that underscored the Obama administration’s determination to continue its war against Isis, despite Foley’s killing and the threat to Sotloff’s life.
That airdrop of water and food was accompanied by US airstrikes on Isis positions around Amerli, said Rear Admiral John Kirby, the Pentagon spokesman. “Further airstrikes remain a possibility, but we believe the township is under the control of Iraqi and Kurdish forces,” Kirby said Tuesday.
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