Islamic State releases new video, says American journalist Steven Sotloff has been executed

Islamic State releases new video, says American journalist Steven Sotloff has been executed
Islamic State releases new video, says American journalist Steven Sotloff has been executed
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The News Minute| September 2, 2014| 10.50 pm IST

The Islamic State has released a new chilling video, this time showing the alleged execution of one more American hostage. 

The ISIL video claims the man in orange jumpsuit was Journalist Steven Sotloff who freelanced for Time and Foreign Policy magazines. Sotloff who wrote dispatches from conflict hit zones like Bahrain, Egypt, Turkey, Libya and Syria disappeared in August 2013. 

A masked man is seen beheading the hostage, the video’s authenticity has not been confirmed. The Telegraph UK reports that Sotloff’s apparent kidnap was not widely reported until he appeared on a video released last month by the Islamic State.

Titled "A second message to America", the video also threatens the life of British captive David Haines. Sotloff speaks to the camera before he is killed, saying he is "paying the price" for US intervention, the news channel reported.

The masked IS figure in the video speaks to US President Barack Obama, telling him, "Just as your missiles continue to strike our people, our knife will continue to strike the necks of your people."

Last week, Sotloff's mother Shirley Sotloff released a video pleading with IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi not to kill her son.

"Steven is a journalist who travelled to the Middle East to cover the suffering of Muslims at the hands of tyrants. Steven is a loyal and generous son, brother and grandson," she said.

"He is an honourable man and has always tried to help the weak." Sotloff appeared last month in an IS video showing the decapitation of Foley. The militant in the video warned that Sotloff's fate depended on what Obama did next in Iraq.

New York Times says Sotloff was a journalist who reassured friends that he knew the risks of covering conflicts.

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