Islamic State Says It Executed US Journalist

The terror group known as the Islamic State, or ISIS, claims to have beheaded American photojournalist James Foley in retaliation for US airstrikes in Iraq, reports the Washington Post and NBC News. A graphic video purports to show Foley, 40, being executed after reciting a statement in which he refers to the US government as "my real killers." Another man, believed to be a US journalist named Steven Joel Sotloff, is then brought on screen. "The life of this American citizen, Obama, depends on your next decision," says the executioner. Foley, a New Hampshire resident who was working for the website GlobalPost, was kidnapped in Syria in 2012. Sotloff, a freelancer, disappeared in Syria last year.

The National Security Council was trying to authenticate the video. "If genuine, we are appalled by the brutal murder of an innocent American journalist and we express our deepest condolences to his family and friends,” said a spokesperson. A post on a Facebook page called Free James Foley says it, too, is waiting for official word. "Please be patient until we all have more information, and keep the Foleys in your thoughts and prayers." YouTube has taken down the video, reports the Guardian. (More Islamic State stories.)