It seems that ISIS is trying to bait the United States into war.
A new video attributed to the Islamic State terrorist organization purports to show the beheading of U.S. journalist Steven Sotloff, marking the second such execution in recent weeks by a group that controls parts of Iraq and Syria and has threatened to kill other captives.
The video shows a bound Sotloff being held at knifepoint by a black-clad militant against a desert backdrop that appears similar to the one shown in a video released last month depicting the beheading of American journalistJames Foley. The video was obtained by the SITE Intelligence Group, an organization that tracks the online postings of Islamist militant groups.
Sotloff, a freelance journalist, had written for Time magazine, Foreign Policy and other publications. He was believed to have been taken captive shortly after entering Syria in 2013.
His mother recently released a video pleading with the Islamic State for her son’s release.
U.S. officials had no immediate comment on the claim that Sotloff was beheaded. A spokesperson for the family declined to comment Tuesday when reached by a reporter for The Washington Post.
