the beheading of US journalist James Foley, who went missing in Syria
in 2012.
The jihadist militant group said the killing was revenge for US air
strikes against its fighters in Iraq.
Foley's mother Diane said on Facebookshe was proud of her son: "He
gave his life trying to expose the world to the suffering of the
Syrian people."
The White House said if the video was genuine, the US would be "appalled".
If (the video is) genuine, we are appalled by the brutal murder of an
innocent American journalist
Caitlin Hayden, US security spokeswoman
Foley has reported extensively across the Middle East, working for the
US publication Global Post and other media outlets including the
French news agency AFP.
'Second prisoner'
In the video, titled A Message to America, a man who appears to be
James Foley is dressed in an orange jumpsuit, kneeling in desert-like
terrain beside an armed man dressed in black.
The man identified as James Foley speaks, giving a message to his
family and linking his imminent death to the US government's bombing
campaign of IS targets in Iraq.
Then the masked militant, who speaks with a British accent and
identifies himself as an IS member, describes Mr Foley as an American
citizen and says: "As a government you have been at the forefront of
aggression towards the Islamic State."
After he speaks, the militant appears to start cutting at his
captive's neck before the video fades to black.
Another captive, identified as American journalist Steven Sotloff, is
shown at the end, with the warning that his fate depends on President
Barack Obama's next move.
Mr Sotloff was abducted a year ago in northern Syria, close to the
border with Turkey.
In a statement, the Global Post asked for "prayers for Jim and his
family", adding that it was waiting for the video to be verified.
UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the apparent beheading was an
"appalling example of the brutality of this organisation".
Acknowledging that the militant appeared to be British, he said the
involvement of a significant number of UK nationals in Syria in Iraq
was "one of the reasons why this organisation represents such a direct
threat to the UK's national security".
In a 2012 interview with the BBC, Foley described his motivation for
covering conflicts.
"I'm drawn to the drama of the conflict and trying to expose untold
stories," he said.
"There's extreme violence, but there's a will to find who these people
really are. And I think that's what's really inspiring about it."
Foley was also briefly detained in Libya in 2011.
US officials confirmed that they had seen the video and were trying to
establish its authenticity.
President Barack Obama had also been informed.
He has refrained from speaking publicly until the video can be
formally authenticated, but the threat of retaliation against
Americans is likely to complicate US involvement in Iraq, reports the
BBC's Barbara Plett Usher in Washington.
BBC
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