A video has been released today showing the gruesome murder of the 31-year-old journalist - weeks after the brutal beheading of James Foley by a British terrorist
With fears that a British ISIS fighter is holding another Brit hostage, David Cameron is under increasing pressure.
It has also emerged this evening that a British female jihadist has written a terrifying manifesto calling on young women to join Islamic State terrorists in Syria.
And in a chilling call for bloodshed on British streets she says: “If you cannot make it to the battlefield, then bring the battlefield to yourself.”
Although it is impossible to say when the clip of Mr Sotloff was recorded, it shows him with a small beard and some hair on his head . This differs from the film showing Mr Foley’s death, in which he was shaven-headed and clean shaven.
This indicates that the videos were made at different times. It also contradicts some Western intelligence officials who suggested the men may have been murdered on the same day and the propaganda videos spaced out to generate more publicity. Mr Sotloff – a freelancer for TIME magazine among other publications – is dressed in an outfit designed to mirror those worn by detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
Next to him stands the extremist dressed in black hood and robes, a smart pair of desert boots, a leather shoulder holster and clutching a knife in his left hand – exactly the same clothes and weapons as in Mr Foley’s video. Kneeling, the journalist reads his final statement with remarkable fortitude.
MOMENTS BEFORE HIS DEATH, STEVEN SOTLOFF'S FINAL WORDS:
A Second Message to America:
Taunting Obama: Sotloff's masked executioner tells the camera that the killing is in retaliation for US airstrikes in Iraq
'I am Steven Joel Sotloff.
'I’m sure you know exactly who I am by now and why I am appearing before you.
'And now this is the time for my message:
'Obama, your foreign policy of intervention in Iraq was supposed to be the preservation of American lives and interests, so why is that I am paying the price of your interference with my life?
'Am I not an American citizen?
'We’ve spent billions of U.S. taxpayer dollars and we’ve lost thousands of our troops in our previous fighting against the Islamic State, so what are the people’s interests in reigniting war?
'From what little I know about foreign policy, I remember a time when you could not win an election without promising to bring our troops back from Iraq and Afghanistan and to close down Guantanamo.
'Here you are now, Obama, nearing the end of your term, and having achieved none of the above and deceivingly marching us the American people in the blazing fire.'
Brandishing the knife as he rants on the video, the murderer approaches Mr Sotloff from behind and snatches him by the chin.
His knife apparently slashes across the victim’s neck although – just like the Foley video – there is no sign of blood. Even though the shot lasts only seconds, the captive remains kneeling upright until his left leg shoots forward and he slumps. Again, the video then fades to black.
The deeply disturbing film does not show the actual moment of Mr Sotloff’s decapitation – marking it out from earlier, less sophisticated, predecessors such as the slaying of British engineer Ken Bigley in 2004.
After a few moments, the film returns to show the sickening sight of Mr Sotloff’s body lying in the dust. It then cuts to the image of the third captive, who is set to be the next beheading victim. Again, this follows exactly the same pattern as Mr Foley’s video.
The makers of the clips used multiple cameras, and professional microphones for polished production techniques – in stark contrast to earlier beheading videos circulated via the internet, which used grainy and chaotic camcorder footage.
They also used graphics and visual effects, plus editing tools to cut film of Mr Sotloff with video of Obama’s press conference.
The quality of the videos is unsurprising: IS boasts an estimated 2,000 recruits from Europe, many of whom are well-educated, with backgrounds in IT or film production.
'I'M BACK OBAMA': MASKED EXECUTIONERS CHILLING THREAT TO CAMERA
Executioner:
'I’m back Obama, and I’m back because of your arrogant foreign policy towards the Islamic state, because of your insistence on continuing your bombings and… on Mosul Dam, despite our serious warnings.
'You Obama, have but to gain from your actions but another American citizen.
'So just as your missiles continue to strike our people, our knife will continue to strike the necks of your people.
'We take this opportunity to warn those governments that enter this evil alliance of America against the Islamic State to back off and leave our people alone'
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