IS releases new video of captured British journalist

Published September 18th, 2014 - 04:03 GMT
Al Bawaba
Al Bawaba

A new video featuring a captured British journalist has been released by the Islamic State (Isis) militant group.

The footage shows a man in an orange jumpsuit similar to those worn in the videos depicting the beheading of the American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and the British aid worker David Haines.

In the video, the hostage, who admits that he is a prisoner of Isis, is shown sitting on his own in a darkened room reading about the terror group from a pre-prepared script. Unlike in previous videos, the clip does not feature any militants or suggest that the journalist has been harmed.

In comments which appear to have been made under duress, the man says that he and others have been abandoned by the US and UK governments.

He goes on to say that he has filmed several “programmes” which he says will “show the truth as the Western media tries to drag the public back to the abyss of another war with the Islamic State”.

It is unclear when the recording was made.

Its release comes on the day that a group of more than 100 leading British Muslims joined together to denounce the capture by Isis of another British national, Alan Henning.

In their statement to The Independent, the community said that to harm Mr Henning would be “the worst condemnable sin” against Islam, and they plead with Isis to see the error of their ways and set him free.

In Islam, concern for fellow humans and the duty to help everyone is a religious obligation,” they write. “Anyone undertaking a humanitarian act is paving his or her way to receive help from heaven.

On Sunday Isis released footage which showed the murder of Mr Haines, and threatened to kill Mr Henning next.

David Cameron called the killing “pure evil” and “a despicable and appalling murder”, and has since paved the way for Britain to join the US in direct air strikes against Isis in Syria.

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