ISIS wachinja mwandishi mwingine

 

The gruesome video of Steven Sotloff’s murder was almost identical to the clip of James Foley’s killing released exactly a fortnight ago.

Both American journalists were clad in orange overalls, forced to kneel with their hands cuffed behind their backs and then beheaded on a barren, dusty hillside by the left-handed masked killer.

The horrific but slickly-produced film of Mr Sotloff’s appalling last moments at the hands of the hooded Islamic State fanatic was uploaded to the internet yesterday evening.

Mr Sotloff’s video cuts to what it calls A Second Message to America, subtitled in Arabic, which depicts the 31-year-old and his killer reading pre-scripted statements blaming his impending death on US foreign policy.

The killer then stands behind Mr Sotloff and appears to attack him with a knife. As the murderer slashes at the captive’s neck, the film again fades to black. 

Seconds later, the journalist’s body is shown lying on its back in a pool of blood, his severed head placed on his stomach. 

The footage follows exactly the same format as Mr Foley’s murder.

 Two weeks ago, it was Mr Sotloff who appeared after Mr Foley’s beheading.

Both Mr Sotloff and Mr Foley appear to have been killed by the same man: a British fighter who has been dubbed ‘Jihadi John’. 

He is one of four Britons fighting with IS who were  known as ‘The Beatles’ because of their accents.

Their executions were both filmed in what appears to be a hilly area with a blustery

Unlike Foley's beheading, which was widely shared on Twitter accounts affiliated with the Islamic State group, the video purporting to show Sotloff's killing was not immediately posted online, though several jihadi websites told users to expect it Tuesday.

The second film ends with a chilling final image: a captured British citizen being grabbed by the scruff of his orange overalls in what appears to be the same location. The threat is obvious – he will be the next person killed.

Two weeks ago, it was Mr Sotloff who appeared after Mr Foley’s beheading.

On Thursday, Sotloff’s mother Shirley Sotloff went on television to make a direct appeal for her son’s life. She addressed Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the self-claimed caliph of ISIS.

'My son is in your hands,' Ms Sotloff said. '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.'

Sotloff's mother had pleaded for his release last week in a video directed at the Islamic State group.

Addressing the leader of the Islamic State group by name, Shirley Sotloff said in a video her son was 'an innocent journalist' who shouldn't pay for U.S. government actions in the Middle East over which he has no control.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest offered his sympathies to the Sotloff family. He said of the video: 'This is something that the administration has obviously been watching carefully since this threat against Mr. Sotloff's life was originally made a few weeks ago,' he added.

'I'm not in a position to confirm the authenticity of that video, or reports, obviously,' he cautioned, 'since I just walked out here.'

'But if there is a video that has been released, it is something that will be analyzed very carefully by the U.S. government and our intelligence officials to determine its authenticity.'

'Our thoughts and prayers, first and foremost, are with Mr. Sotloff and Mr. Sotloff's family and those who worked with him,' he said. 'The United States, as you know, has dedicated significant time and resources to try and rescue Mr. Sotloff.'

Daily Mail