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The Islamic State militant group (ISIS) released a video on Tuesday September 2, which reportedly showed the beheading of a second American hostage, journalist Steven Sotloff.
Steven Sotloff, a 31-year-old freelance journalist from Florida, was kidnapped in Syria in August 2013.
According to Reuters, a masked man in the video also issued a threat against a British hostage identified as David Haines, warning the government to back off “this evil alliance of America against the Islamic State”.
After thorough investigation, a statement was released by Sotloff’s family through a spokesman, Barak Barfi who announced the family considered the video authentic. “The family knows of this horrific tragedy and is grieving privately. There will be no public comment from the family during this difficult time.”
Reports say the executioner appears to be the same British-accented man who appeared in an Aug. 19 video of the killing of American journalist James Foley, and it showed a similar desert setting. In both videos, the captives wore orange jumpsuits.
“I’m back, Obama, and I’m back because of your arrogant foreign policy towards the Islamic State, because of your insistence on continuing your bombings and in Amerli, Zumar and the Mosul Dam, despite our serious warnings,” the masked man said in the video, addressing U.S. President Barack Obama.
“So just as your missiles continue to strike our people, our knife will continue to strike the necks of your people.”
The White house says it cannot confirm the authenticity of the video yet but some U.S government officials confirmed Sotloff’s video to be real.
In the video, Sotloff describes himself as “paying the price” with his life for the U.S. intervention in Iraq.
Sotloff’s beheading by ISIS comes exactly two weeks after his colleague, James Foley was executed in the same style.
