The US and UK are investigating a video which purportedly shows the
beheading of US hostage Steven Sotloff by an Islamic State militant who warns
that a British hostage will be next.
Mr Sotloff was last seen in Syria in August 2013 but last month he appeared in
a video released online by the Islamist group which showed the murder of
fellow American journalist James Foley, who was beheaded.
In that video, the 31-year-old was threatened with death unless the US stopped
airstrikes aimed at IS in Iraq.
In Tuesday's footage, carrying the title A Second Message To America - and
released just days after his mother Shirley pleaded for his release - the
freelance journalist is dressed in a similar orange jumpsuit.
Sotloff freelanced for Time and Foreign Policy magazines
A masked militant in the video, with an English accent, tells governments to
back off "this evil alliance of America against the Islamic State" - and warns
that a British hostage. who is shown kneeling at knifepoint, will be targeted
next.
The extremist says: "I'm back, Obama, and I'm back because of your arrogant
foreign policy towards the Islamic State... despite our serious warnings."
Sky's US Correspondent Dominic Waghorn said that according to Site - a US
video monitoring agency in Maryland - the video showed Mr Sotloff being
beheaded by the same man, believed to be British, who killed Mr Foley.
Sam Kiley, Sky's Foreign Affairs Editor, watched the video and said: "The killer
is holding an identical knife, standing just behind and to the left of Mr Sotloff.
"He is also armed with a shoulder holster identical to the one that carried a
pistol on his last video, just prior to the murder of James Foley.
He was threatened with death by IS last month
"He has got exactly the same accent... but it is clear that the voice has been
somehow treated or adjusted.
"There is some kind of disguising mechanism that has been put to use to try to
further hide his identity in addition to the black mask that reveals only his
eyes."
White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said: "The intelligence community will
work as quickly as possible to determine its authenticity.
"If the video is genuine we are sickened by this brutal act, taking the life of
another innocent American citizen. Our hearts go out to the Sotloff family."
She would not be drawn on whether current events meant the US was at war
with IS, formerly known as ISIS and ISIL, which has claimed territory across
Syria and Iraq and declared itself a caliphate.
James Foley was murdered in a video two weeks ago
British Prime Minister David Cameron, who will be chairing a meeting of the
Government's emergency committee Cobra on Wednesday morning, said: "If
verified, this is a despicable and barbaric murder.
"We have already been working hard to keep British people safe and we will
continue to do all we can to protect our country and our people from these
barbaric terrorists."
The Foreign Office said it was also "urgently working to verify the authenticity
of the video".
Mr Sotloff's relatives said they were aware of "this horrific tragedy" and were
"grieving privately".
news.sky.com/story/1329061/reports-second-us-journalist-beheaded-by-is