The militant Islamic State has released a video showing the beheading of second American journalist Steven J. Sotloff, the SITE Intelligence Group, a research organization that tracks jihadist web postings, said Tuesday.
The execution of Sotloff, 31, came despite pleas from his mother, requesting ISIS's top leader to grant mercy for her son, a freelance journalist who worked for Foreign Policy and Time magazine and was captured in northern Syria a year ago.
Even though Sotloff's mother made the plea that her son should not be blamed for the 'sins of others,' Sotloff, in the video, describes himself as "paying the price" for the Obama admin's decision to strike ISIS in Iraq, according to New York Times.
Moreover, the same masked fighter who appeared in the video of Foley's beheading also appears beside Sotloff, saying, "I'm back, Obama, and I'm back because of your arrogant foreign policy towards the Islamic State."
Towards the end of the video, the British Islamic State fighter threatens the life of British citizen, David Cawthorne Haines, as the next beheading victim.
The White House press secretary, Josh Earnest, was in the middle of his daily briefing with journalists when the new broke. Earnest said the Obama administration would work to confirm the authenticity of the video.
