masked militant apparently beheading an American journalist and
threatening to kill a British captive.
The footage, seen by AFP after it was found online by private
terrorism monitor SITE, shows 31-year-old freelance reporter Steven
Sotloff dressed in orange and on his knees in a desert landscape.
The masked militant condemns the ongoing US strikes against the
Islamic State -- a Sunni jihadist group that operates in Iraq and Syria
-- and cuts Sotloff's throat.
He then introduces a second captive, identified in a caption by name
as a British citizen.
"I'm back, Obama, and I'm back because of your arrogant foreign policy
towards the Islamic State," the militant says, speaking in what sounds
like a London accent.
This was an apparent reference to a previous video in which US
journalist James Foley was murdered, again by a suspected British
foreign fighter and in an almost identical fashion.
British Prime Minister David Cameron said the latest video depicted an
"absolutely disgusting, despicable act."
The previous video was released last month after US President Barack
Obama ordered air strikes against the Islamic State.
It showed 40-year-old Foley's death at the hands of a masked militant
who then threatened Sotloff, a Miami-born freelance reporter who has
written for Time magazine, Foreign Policy and other outlets.
US officials said they were working to confirm the authenticity of the
latest video, and State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said
Washington would be "sickened" if it proved genuine.
American air strikes against IS positions and vehicles continued in
the wake of Foley's death, and more than 120 have been carried out,
most of them hitting targets around Iraq's largest dam north of Mosul.
The video, shot with the same high production values as its
predecessor, is entitled: "A second message to America."
It opens with a clip of Obama vowing to be "relentless" in his
determination to protect US citizens from IS attacks.
Sotloff identifies himself in English and calmly explains that he is
paying the price for Obama's policy. His killer also speaks in
English.
Sotloff was kidnapped in northern Syria more than a year ago, on
August 4, 2013. His family only publicly revealed his captivity last
month, having previously requested a media blackout.
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