America's FAILED raid to rescue James Foley: White House reveals how US special forces stormed ISIS camp just a month ago - only to find hostages weren't there...as Obama goes back to his golf

Delta Force tried to rescue Americans held hostage by ISIS (also known as ISIL) in July, but the mission failed because it was the wrong location

ISIS reportedly requested a $100million ransom for Foley's release, but it was not paid since the U.S. doesn't negotiate with terrorists



It has also emerged Foley made at least one escape escape while imprisoned but was caught and brutally punished



President Barack Obama seemed to double down on attacking ISIS after a militant beheaded Foley in a shocking video



'One thing we can all agree on is a group like ISIL has no place in the 21st century,' a defiant Obama said

U.S. Secret Service and UK intelligence are searching for Foley's executioner, who spoke with a British accent in the video



Nearly a dozen new airstrikes near the Mosul Dam came after gruesome video showed an ISIS militant cutting off photojournalist's head

ISIS threatened to kill a second American journalist if airstrikes continue

Obama spoke from his vacation on Martha's Vineyard and played golf immediately after delivering his remarks

Despite threats to kill second American, U.S. has launched 14 new strikes



Special forces attempted to rescue Americans - including James Foley - held hostage by ISIS in Syria earlier this summer but failed, it was revealed today.



The mission to save the journalist and others was carried out in early July but was unsuccessful because the hostages - being held by a group of British jihadists known as 'The Beatles' - could not be found.



'This operation involved air and ground components and was focused on a particular captor network within ISIL [also known as ISIS and IS],' the White House said in a statement last night.



'Unfortunately, the mission was not successful because the hostages were not present at the targeted location.'

It came as President Obama's conduct attracted growing criticism after he played golf immediately after he gave a speech condemning the murder of Mr Foley.

Four minutes after leaving the podium Obama teed-off and was seen laughing with friends and fist-bumping them during a five-hour round at Farm Neck Golf Course on Martha's Vineyard - his seventh 18-holes in ten days.

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Obama delivered a statement from Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, during his vacation on Wednesday. His remarks come after 'Islamic State' insurgents released a video showing the beheading of U.S. journalist James Foley, who had gone missing in Syria nearly two years ago Dignified: Diane and John Foley talked to reporters after the death of their son, photojournalist James Foley, at the hands of ISIS Vacation continues: Directly after the Foley press conference, Obama went to play a round of golf with businessman Glenn Hutchins (center) and Cyrus Walker (right), the cousin of White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett

Meanwhile his administration was briefing on its rescue attempts this summer and said it would not release more details on the raid, but sources told the New York Times that the mission was carried out by two dozen special-ops members, who were dropped off in Syria in early July and were met with gunfire.



'While on site, it became apparent the hostages were not there,' one of the officials said.



The sources wouldn't say where the raid was held, but pointed out that if it had happened in a heavily-populated area - it likely would have already made news. They also wouldn't comment on how many hostages were believed to be held captive at the location, or their names.



During the fight the ISIS forces suffered 'a good number of casualties' while only one American was slightly wounded. The American team was then able to retreat back to their helicopters and escape.

The administration kept the raid a secret, by commandos from the elite Delta Force, the U.S. military's elite counter-terrorism unit, until now in order to 'preserve future opportunities' for another mission.



Details of the mission were revealed after President Obama spoke about the execution of James Foley and promised new strikes on ISIS. In a stark contrast to the somber mood of his speech, the president then returned to his vacation and the golf course where he was pictured laughing and smiling with friends.



Since the video U.S. forces have carried out 14 new strikes on IS targets near the Mosul dam despite the threat that another American hostage would be murdered.



Earlier in the day the Obama Administration revealed that they knew about an email sent to Foley's family last week, warning 'that they would execute Jim'.



Right after receiving the email, the Foley family made the White House aware, according to Philip Balboni, who founded the Global Post – a Boston news outlet that published Foley's photographs.



Balboni told reporters that the kidnappers' email was 'full of rage against the United States for the bombing' of ISIS targets.

'[We] explained to them that Jim was an innocent journalist, had done no harm to the Syrian people,' he said. 'Sadly they showed no mercy to Jim.'

Frightening: James Wright Foley tenses as his executioner addresses the camera who says this act of revenge is in responce to US airstrikes on Iraq

He also said he was confident the federal government knew where Foley was kept – always in Syria, he told reporters. He said the government had likely made efforts to save him, but he did not know the details, as they were classified.

WCVB-TV reported that the administration did not engage in any negotiations for Foley's release, leaving Global Post and its hired-gun investigators to make contact.

It also appears that Foley was 'brutally' beaten by his captors before, for planning an escape, a former freelance journalist from France told ABC News.



Nicolas Henin was taken hostage in Syria for 10 months and was released last April. He spent seven months housed with Foley, and at some point during that time was abused for an escape plot.



'James a bit punished for a presumed attempt to escape but it had no real chance,' Henin said.



Henin and other European hostages were released earlier this year, leaving three Americans (excluding Foley) and three Britons behind since neither country negotiates with terrorists.



That policy may have also contributed to Foley's execution as the Times revealed that ISIS previously demanded a $100million ransom for the photojournalist's release. They also asked for the release of MIT-trained neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui, who is currently imprisoned in Texas.



A representative of the family and a man who was held with Foley confirmed the amount, but no bargain was struck because the U.S. and UK refuse to fund jihadist organizations by paying ransoms.

'We communicated ... as quickly as we could with the captors,' Balboni explained, 'and pleaded with them for mercy.'



On Wednesday, Obama declared that 'the entire world is appalled by the brutal murder.'

Obama didn't mention any advance warnings when he delivered five minutes of remarks Wednesday afternoon, while on vacation on Matha's Vineyard. But he said the U.S. won't back down from ISIS , the militant terror group behind Foley's death.

'No just God would stand for what they did yesterday, and for what they do every single day,' he said



"One thing we can all agree on is a group like ISIL has no place in the 21st century" -President Barack Obama

'ISIL speaks for no religion,' he said, aiming his words at the Islamist faction that claims to have established a Muslim caliphate in portions of Syria and Iraq. 'Their victims are overwhelmingly Muslim, and no faith teaches people to massacre innocents.'



Foley stood 'in stark contrast' to his captors and executioners, he said, blaming them for a series of 'cowardly acts of violence.'

Americans 'are all heartbroken at their loss and join them in honoring Jim,' he said, somber but not wearing a necktie, as has been his practice during his extended family holiday.

But the president said the terror group has tortured and killed ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq, including women and children.

'They have rampaged across cities and villages, killing innocent civilians,' he said.

'They have murdered Muslims, both Sunni and Shia, by the thousands. They target Christians and religious minorities, driving them from their homes, murdering them when they can, for no other reason than that they practice another religion.'

'One thing we can all agree on is a group like ISIL has no place in the 21st century.'



He seemed to double down on the threat of airstrikes, even though Foley's executioner claimed another journalist will die if they continue.

'There has to be a common effort to expel this cancer so it does not spread,' Obama said.

Directly after the press conference, Obama went to play a round of golf where he was pictured in a good mood, laughing with ex-NBA basketball player Alonzo Mourning and fist-bumping Cyrus Walker, the cousin of White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett. Businessman Glenn Hutchins was also pictured out on the course.

The president's decision to go golfing following the disturbing beheading of an American citizen was heavily criticized, especially on Twitter where many called out his behavior.



In an interview with Fox, retired U.S. Army Lieutenant found it hard to contain his anger about Obama's post-presser round of golf.

'There is no way the president should be stupid enough to go play golf' after breaking such news, Peters said.

'Not only did he insult the Foley family; he sent a message to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi and all of the other jihadi terrorist militants – now soldiers of a jihadi army – that he doesn't take it all seriously.'

Ex-NBA basketball player Alonzo Mourning (left) also joined the president out on the Vineyard Golf Club course

A somber Balboni said the latest email from Foley's captors was unusual in that it included only threats and no demands

No mercy: Global Post President and CEO Philip Balboni revealed the Foley family had received a 'rage'-filled email from ISIS threatening to execute the journalist a week ago, and that the White House had been aware of the threat Difficult speech: President Barack Obama spoke in Edgartown, Massachusetts on Wednesday, but didn't mention anything about an advance warning of Foley's execution 'WE WILL BE VIGILANT AND WE WILL BE RELENTLESS': PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA'S STATEMENT FROM MARTHA'S VINEYARD

'Good afternoon, everybody. Today, the entire world is appalled by the brutal murder of Jim Foley by the terrorist group, ISIL.

'Jim was a journalist, a son, a brother, and a friend. He reported from difficult and dangerous places, bearing witness to the lives of people a world away. He was taken hostage nearly two years ago in Syria, and he was courageously reporting at the time on the conflict there.

'Jim was taken from us in an act of violence that shocks the conscience of the entire world. He was 40 years old – one of five siblings, the son of a mom and dad who worked tirelessly for his release. Earlier today, I spoke to the Foleys and told them that we are all heartbroken at their loss, and join them in honoring Jim and all that he did.

'Jim Foley’s life stands in stark contrast to his killers. Let’s be clear about ISIL. They have rampaged across cities and villages – killing innocent, unarmed civilians in cowardly acts of violence. They abduct women and children, and subject them to torture and rape and slavery. They have murdered Muslims – both Sunni and Shia – by the thousands. They target Christians and religious minorities, driving them from their homes, murdering them when they can for no other reason than they practice a different religion. They declared their ambition to commit genocide against an ancient people.

'So ISIL speaks for no religion. Their victims are overwhelmingly Muslim, and no faith teaches people to massacre innocents. No just God would stand for what they did yesterday, and for what they do every single day. ISIL has no ideology of any value to human beings. Their ideology is bankrupt. They may claim out of expediency that they are at war with the United States or the West, but the fact is they terrorize their neighbors and offer them nothing but an endless slavery to their empty vision, and the collapse of any definition of civilized behavior.

'And people like this ultimately fail. They fail, because the future is won by those who build and not destroy and the world is shaped by people like Jim Foley, and the overwhelming majority of humanity who are appalled by those who killed him.

'The United States of America will continue to do what we must do to protect our people. We will be vigilant and we will be relentless. When people harm Americans, anywhere, we do what’s necessary to see that justice is done. And we act against ISIL, standing alongside others.

'The people of Iraq, who with our support are taking the fight to ISIL, must continue coming together to expel these terrorists from their communities. The people of Syria, whose story Jim Foley told, do not deserve to live under the shadow of a tyrant or terrorists. They have our support in their pursuit of a future rooted in dignity.



'From governments and peoples across the Middle East there has to be a common effort to extract this cancer, so that it does not spread. There has to be a clear rejection of these kind of nihilistic ideologies. One thing we can all agree on is that a group like ISIL has no place in the 21st century.

'Friends and allies around the world, we share a common security and a common set of values that are rooted in the opposite of what we saw yesterday. And we will continue to confront this hateful terrorism, and replace it with a sense of hope and civility. And that’s what Jim Foley stood for, a man who lived his work; who courageously told the stories of his fellow human beings; who was liked and loved by friends and family.

'Today, the American people will all say a prayer for those who loved Jim. All of us feel the ache of his absence. All of us mourn his loss. We keep in our prayers those other Americans who are separated from their families. We will do everything that we can to protect our people and the timeless values that we stand for.

'May God bless and keep Jim’s memory, and may God bless the United States of America.'

Secretary of State John Kerry released a statement 90 minutes after Obama's press conference, saying that Foley 'was brave and bold, and no masked coward can ever steal the legacy of this courageous American.'

He noted that Foley had been held in captivity once before – in Libya – before ultimately winning his release.

'The sheer unfairness and unlikely odds that this young journalist would again find himself in captivity in another conflict was almost unimaginable,' he said.

'It is impossible to express how much we all wanted this latest horror to end with his family reunited, as it had been the first time.'

FBI Director James Comey added to that, saying the 'full force' of the U.S. government would be used to catch the 'savages' responsible for Foley's murder.



'I’m very, very, sorry to say that these savages have turned it into a homicide investigation,' Comey said from Denver.

'So we’ll stay on it. We’ll work with our law enforcement, our intelligence and our military partners to try to bring justice to the Foley family and bring the full force of the United States to bear on these savages,' he said.

British Prime Minister David Cameron said Wednesday that Foley's killing was 'murder without any justification,' and seemed resigned to the fact that his executioner is from the UK.

'We have not identified the individual responsible,' he said from No. 10 Downing Street, 'but from what we have seen it looks increasingly likely that it is a British citizen.'



The Prime Minister condemned 'the barbaric and brutal act that has taken place.'



And 'let's be clear what this act is,' he said. 'It is an act of murder.'

'WE WILL OPPOSE ISIS WITH EVERY BREATH IN OUR BODY': BRITISH PRIME MINISTER DAVID CAMERON LEADS INVESTIGATION INTO JAMES FOLEY DEATH

Prime Minister David Cameron has since broken off his vacation and was seen returning to 10 Downing Street in London earlier today to oversee Britain's response to James Foley's 'shocking and depraved' beheading and the hunt for the 'British' executioner.

Responding to the video, Philip Hammond, the Foreign Secretary, said ISIS was waging war on the West and must be dealt with, before adding that Foley's executioner 'appeared to be British' and confirmed that the Government believed the footage to be genuine.

Calling ISIS an 'evil organization', Mr Hammond said he could send British troops to help train Iraqi government soldiers to help counter the growing threat the Islamist militants pose.

Mr Hammond said the video had not been verified but ‘all the hallmarks point to it being genuine’.

The Foreign Secretary said his reaction to the clip was ‘horror, absolutely horror at what appears to be a brutal execution’. He added: ‘On the face of it, it appears to be a British person.’

Mr Hammond said the Government knew there were 'a significant number of British nationals in Syria and Iraq operating with extremist organizations'.

epa04361037 British Prime Minister David Cameron conceded on Wednesday that Foley's executioner was likely British, based on his accent and intelligence reports

U.S. Secret Service and intelligence services in the United Kingdom are searching for Foley's executioner who spoke with a British accent in the video, the Guardian reported Wednesday.

The Englishman is believed to be the ringleader of a group of British fighters holding other foreign hostages in Syria.

He is reportedly from London, and one of the point-men engaged in hostage negotiations in Raqqa, Syria, an ISIS stronghold.



One former hostage told the Guardian that the British executioner is 'intelligent, educated and a devout believer in radical Islamic teachings,' the paper reported.

The one-time captive added that prisoners referred to their three captors as 'the Beatles' because they were British.

Foley's mother and father called on ISIS militants to spare the lives of other captured hostages as the authenticity of the barbaric video of his death was confirmed by the White House on Wednesday morning.

James' mother Diane said Wednesday that ordinary Syrians her son interacted with loved him.

'He ate with them, he lived with them,' she said. 'He had this way of getting people to tell their story – how he did it I don't know, he didn't speak a word of Arabic.'

'We are all heartbroken at their loss,' Obama said moments later.



Beheaded: James Wright Foley in a grab taken from YouTube and posted online by ISIS

Terror: Photojournalist James Wright Foley spoke before his beheading to say ''I call on my friends, family members and loved ones to rise up against my real killers, the U.S. government.'

Obama's remarks came hours after UK Prime Minister David Cameron cut short his vacation to return to head his government's response.

America's military has carried out nearly a dozen new airstrikes in Iraq since Tuesday, with the attacks coming after the terror group's appalling video release.

Foley's executioner addressed President Barack Obama personally in the video, warning that his group would kill Steven Sotloff – another American journalist the group is holding – if the U.S. didn't stop a campaign of targeted attacks that Obama authorized on August 8.



House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers called on the president to cut his vacation short and return to Washington to deal with the threat to US citizens posed by ISIS.



Rogers used the example of Cameron: 'The optics of being on vacation and not coming away from that vacation, I just think are bad,' he said on Fox News.



'That is why I think Cameron is going back. He is going to show he is the prime minister and he is taking this matter seriously, and he is on the job making the decisions that you need to make to keep Britain safe.'

Disturbing footage of the execution appeared on Tuesday in a video titled 'A message to the US', in which an apparently coerced Foley, 40, recites a prepared script presumably given to him by his captors which he delivers unflinchingly to the camera.

Addressing the camera: James Wright Foley's executioner holds his knife and unfurls his reasons for taking the American journalists life before he beheads him

Kidnapped in Syria on Thanksgiving 2012 while working for the GlobalPost agency, Foley brands the U.S. government his real killers in the video and denounces the country of his birth, while his soon-to-be murderer stands over him dressed in black robes and armed with a small knife and gun.

Wearing an orange jumpsuit, with his head shaven, Foley's voice is strong, but he often pauses to take deep breaths and appears to struggle at times to swallow as he battles against fear.

It appears the journalist wasbeen coerced into blaming the United States by his brutal captors

Foley also leaves a haunting message for his brother, John, who he is heard to say is either a past or serving member of the US Air Force.

Referring to airstrikes launched nearly two weeks ago in Iraq, Foley says: ‘I died that day, John, when your colleagues dropped that bomb on these people. They signed my death certificate’



Foley goes on to blame the 'complacency and criminality' of the US for his impending death.

In his tragic final message to the world, no doubt prepared for him word-by-word by his captors, a resigned says he wished he'd been able to see his family again.



And in a last insult from his vengeful executioners before his brutal beheading Foley is made to deny his birthright as a citizen of the United States.

'I wish I had more time, I wish I could have the hope of freedom and see my family once again, but that ship has sailed. I guess all in all, I wish I wasn’t American,' he says.

It is not immediately clear why Foley would have released an anti-American statement knowing that he was going to die, but it was likely he was engaging in bargaining with his captors, possibly for the life of another fellow hostage.

At work: James Wright Foley, had been missing since November 2012, after being taken hostage at gunpoint by militants from the pre-ISIS group Jabhat al Nusra while reporting from Taftanaz, northern Syria

'I GUESS I WISH I WASN'T AMERICAN': PHOTOJOURNALIST JAMES WRIGHT FOLEY'S FINAL WORDS TO THE CAMERA BEFORE HIS DEATH

'I call on my friends family and loved ones to rise up against my real killers, the US government. For what will happen to me is only a result of their complacency and criminality.

'My message to my beloved parents: save me some dignity and don’t accept any (unclear, possibly says media) compensation for my death, from the same people who effectively hit the last nail in my coffin with a recent aerial campaign in Iraq.

'I call on my brother John, who is/was (this part is also unclear) member of the US Air Force, think about what you are doing, think about lives you destroy including those of your own family.

'I call on you John, think about who made the decision to bomb Iraq recently and kill those people, whoever they may have been.

'Think John, who did they really kill? Did they think about me, you our family when they made that decision?

'I died that day John, when your colleagues dropped that bomb on those people – they signed my death certificate.

'I wish I had more time, I wish I could have the hope of freedom and see my family once again, but that ship has sailed. I guess all in all, I wish I wasn’t American.'

Foley then stops speaking and his executioner steps forward.

‘This is James Wright Foley, an American citizen of your country. As a government you have been at the forefront of the aggression towards the Islamic State,' begins the executioner.

'You have plotted against us and gone far out of your way to find reasons to interfere in our affairs. Today, your military airforce is attacking us daily in Iraq,' the executioner says.



'Your strikes have caused casualties amongst Muslims. You are no longer fighting an insurgency.



'We are an Islamic Army and a state that has been accepted by a large number of Muslims worldwide.



'So effectively, any aggression toward the Islamic State is aggression towards Muslims from all walks of life who have accepted the Islamic Caliphate as their leadership.

'So any attempt by you, Obama, to deny the Muslims their rights of living in safety under the Islamic Caliphate will result in the bloodshed of your people.’

At this point, with the camera rolling, the executioner beheads Foley, who is kneeling bravely with hands tied behind his back.



He then pulls forward Steven Joel Sotloff.

In a chilling warning at the end of the grisly film, the executioner shows another American journalist, Steven Joel Sotloff, who went missing in August 2013, saying: 'The life of this American citizen, Obama, depends on your next decision.'

Horror: In another chilling warning, the executioner holds another man, on his knees with his hands tied behind his back, by the scruff of the neck. A caption claims it is missing American Steven Joel Sotloff

Speaking after the video emerged, Foley's mother Diane had issued a statement saying that she and her husband John have nothing but admiration for the bravery of their 'extraordinary' son, who they say gave his life to expose the suffering of the Syrian people. FULL MESSAGE FROM JAMES WRIGHT FOLEY'S MOTHER: 'We have never been prouder of our son Jim. He gave his life trying to expose the world to the suffering of the Syrian people.



'We implore the kidnappers to spare the lives of the remaining hostages. Like Jim, they are innocents. They have no control over American government policy in Iraq, Syria or anywhere in the world.



'We thank Jim for all the joy he gave us. He was an extraordinary son, brother, journalist and person. Please respect our privacy in the days ahead as we mourn and cherish Jim.' Senior members of the U.S. Congress weighed in on Wednesday with varying degrees of outrage and practical prescriptions. Rep Ed Royce, a California Republican who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said that ISIS 'is a profound threat to humanity as it brutally targets the most vulnerable. We must get serious about confronting this force, including by aggressively arming those battling it.' But Sen Dianne Feinstein, the California Democrat in charge of the Senate Intelligence Committee, counseled a more measured response that's in line with Obama's attempts at nation-building and diplomacy. Calling for 'serious consequences by the international community,' she said the U.S. 'must continue to provide our support to the new Iraqi government once it is formed and help solidify gains by Iraqi and Kurdish forces.'

Foley had been missing since November 2012, after being taken hostage at gunpoint by militants from the group Jabhat al Nusra while reporting from Taftanaz, northern Syria, for the GlobalPost.

Jabhat al Nusra subsequently joined forces with ISIS – which did not exist in anything like its current form when Foley was taken – which explains how he ended up in their hands.

ISIS posted the extremely graphic video shot at an unknown location, on social media sites as proof of their barbaric actions.



Appeal: Foley's mother Diana and father John (pictured in left image at a vigil last year) issued a statement following the video's release, pleading with ISIS militants to release any other hostages they have taken

Respect: A ribbon is seen on the front door of the family home of freelance journalist James Foley, Wednesday, August 20, 2014 in Rochester, New Hampshire

The video was designed to send a clear signal to the U.S. to halt the airstrikes that have destroyed a significant amount of ISIS' military equipment in and around the Mosul Dam, and allowed Kurdish Peshmerga fighters to reclaim the strategically important complex.

On Wednesday morning, American military jets were seen in the air above the dam as the Kurdish troops who now control it were drawn into fighting with ISIS fighters who remain in the area, hoping to retake control.

The gruesome video presented President Obama with bleak options that could define America’s involvement in Iraq and the public reaction to it, potentially dragging him further into a conflict he built much of his presidency on ending.

Foley was one of 20 journalists missing in Syria, according to the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists.

Many of them are thought likely to have passed into ISIS' hands either because the kidnappers have subsequently sworn allegiance to group's self-declared caliphate, or because they were sold on.

Tragedy: James Wright Foley has been missing since Thanksgiving, 2012 and was beheaded by ISIS forces in a recorded message to President Obama on Tuesday

Two years of hope: James Foley's parents, John and Diane Foley, pose outside their house where a yellow ribbon hangs in an image taken after they decided to publicize his disappearance

Support: Rev. Paul Gousse from Our Lady of the Holy Rosary leaves after meeting with the family of American freelance journalist James Foley in Rochester, New Hampshire, Tuesday night Sotloff, the other journalist threatened, has been missing since the middle of 2013 and last tweeted on August 3rd, 2013 about his hometown basketball team the Miami Heat. According to his Twitter account, he was in Libya at the time of his disappearance. Steven Sotloff’s parents and family are having a hard time coming to terms with the release of the video, a relative told MailOnline.

'How could we be doing?' Steven’s aunt, Rhona Forgang, said from her Pennsylvania home on Wednesday. Mrs Forgang, whose brother is Steven Sotloff’s father Arthur, added that for more than a year the family had been advised to remain silent about his disappearance and whether Steven’s captives had been in touch with them. The public release by ISIS of the gruesome video does not appear to have changed that. 'We’ve been told to say nothing at all,' she said today. Steven Sotloff’s grandparents are Holocaust survivors, according to his mother’s biography on the website of a Jewish pre-school in Miami, where she works as a teacher. Both her children, Steven, now 31, and his sister Lauren, 28, attended the Temple Beth-Am School in Pinecrest. 'We’ve been praying for them and that’s all we can say,' said a woman who answered the phone at the school this morning. Lauren’s boyfriend, Frank Castle, posted on his own Facebook page this morning a link to a community petition hosted on the official White House website that urges President Obama 'to take immediate action to save Steven’s life by any means necessary'. 'Up to this point it has been all under wraps due to a media blackout, I or anyone else couldn’t bring this to light 'til now as it’s gone public,' Castle wrote.

STILL ALIVE: ISIS THREATENS TO KILL AMERICAN JOURNALIST STEVEN JOEL SOTLOFF NEXT

Next? Soltoff has been missing since August 2013, when he disappeared while reporting near Aleppo At the end of the disturbing video, the masked ISIS operative issues a threat to kill another American journalist held captive if President Obama continues to order attacks against the group invading Iraq.

Freelance journalist Steven Joel Sotloff is paraded in front of the camera, and held by the collar of his shirt as the operatives says: 'The life of this American citizen, Obama, depends on your next decision'. Sotloff has been missing since August 2013, when he was kidnapped near Aleppo, Syria. He sent out his last tweet on August 3, talking about his hometown basketball team the Miami Heat.

According to his account, he was living in Benghazi, Libya at the time. ABC News foreign editor Jon Williams tweeted today that Sotloff's family were previously advised not to go public with news of his disappearance. But a family friend wrote about Sotloff last December, saying he went missing August 4 and to pray for his return. Sotloff, a graduate of the University of Central Florida, had been published in TIME, World Affairs, National Interest and the Christian Science Monitor.

The last story he filed was on November 26, 2012 titled 'Libya's New Crisis' 'Steve Sotloff lived in Yemen for years, spoke good Arabic, deeply loved the Islamic world..for this he is threatened with beheading,' friend Anne Marloe tweeted on Tuesday, following the video's release.

In the video, Sotloff did not speak, and appeared with a shaved head and face.

Steven Sotloff's former roommate at the University of Central Florida, Emerson Lotzia, was horrified that his friend's life was in grave danger.

'Everyone is scared right now,' admitted Emerson, who works as a sports reporter at West Palm Beach tv station WPTV., to MailOnline.

'No one really knows what to think because we never really thought that we would ever have one of our friends in this situation.' Then and now: Sotloff is pictured in a contributor photo for a 2011 Daily Caller photo on the left, compared to the man identified as Sotloff in the beheading video on the right



TWITTER WORKING TO REMOVE PICTURES AND VIDEOS DEPICTING JAMES FOLEY'S DEATH

Social networking site Twitter has said it will consider the removal of images of dead people at the request of family members.

In a crackdown on gory and upsetting photographs that have emerged on the site recently, Twitter said it would consider taking down images of deceased individuals 'from when critical injury occurs to the moments before or after death'.

But the site said it would take into account the public interest of any content and warned that it may not agree to all requests.

The announcement follows the shocking beheading of American photojournalist James Foley, 40, by an ISIS militant yesterday.

Yesterday, the White House contacted social networks asking them to remove videos of his death.

Twitter declined to say whether it had also received a request from Mr Foley's family

Gruesome images of Foley's brutal death were widely shared on social media - both in sickeningly celebratory tweets by crowing Islamists, and also by those that were shocked and appalled by the developments.



Although apparently unconnected, Twitter later released a statement saying it is reconsidering its image policy and may start removing images that show people in the moments before, during and immediately after death.



Among those condemning the widespread sharing of images of Foley being beheaded were his sister Kelly, who used Twitter to urge people not to distribute the footage - no matter how shocked and disgusted they were by it.

She also paid tribute to her late brother saying: ' I love you James Foley. Rest peacefully; you're free.'

Her messages sparked a trend among young Twitter users who used to hashtag #ISISMediaBlackout to deny militant group the attention it so clearly craves.

One young woman using the Twitter handle @LibyaLiberty wrote: 'Amputate their reach. Pour water on their flame.'

'From here on out, I won't share any photo or video of violence intentionally recorded & released by ISIS for propaganda. #ISISMediaBlackout' she added.

Foley's beheading comes just one day after ISIS militants threatened to attack U.S. targets 'in any place' in a chilling YouTube video showing a blood-spattered American flag and the message in English: 'We will drown all of you in blood'.

Unlike Al Qaeda - who have previously condemned the militant group as too extreme - ISIS has focused on seizing land in Iraq and Syria for its self-proclaimed caliphate, not attacking Western targets.

Another American journalist, Austin Tice, is also missing after disappearing somewhere outside Damascus, Syria in August 2012. It is not known whether he is a hostage of ISIS.



His parents learned of Foley's death as they were preparing a vigil to commemorate the two year anniversary of his kidnapping.



'The last 635 days, we have had to share a horrible nightmare, which has made us close to the Foley family and our heart goes out to them. We pray eternal rest for James' soul and comfort and peace for his family,' the Tice family said in a statement.

'HE WAS AWARE OF THE DANGERS BUT BELIEVED IN WHAT HE WAS DOING': FOLEY HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN KIDNAPPED IN SYRIA, FRIEND REVEALS

James Foley knew his job carried risks but 'believed in what he was doing' covering the Syrian conflict, a friend said. The 40-year-old New Englander had been kidnapped before while covering fighting in Libya, but had been eager to get back into action, film-maker Matthew VanDyke told BBC Radio 4's Today. He said seeing news reports of his friend's death was 'a complete nightmare' and urged other reporters in Syria and Iraq to take care, saying 'if it can happen to him, it can happen to anybody'. Mr Van Dyke said: 'He was certainly aware of the dangers, he was very professional. .. He had been through a rough time in Libya when he was captured and even after that he came home a little bit and then he went right back to Libya to continue reporting on that conflict.' Brave: James Wright Foley has previously been kidnapped in Libya but had been keen to remain a conflict journalist as he 'believed in what he was doing' Mr Van Dyke said his friend went into Syria knowing that his presence amid the conflict was as dangerous, if not more so, than it had been in Libya. ' [But] he had a love for what he did and he wanted to tell the story of the Syrian people. And nothing was going to stop him from doing that.' After being captured in Libya, Foley was held by the government alongside a small group of other journalists, but was released and given a one-year suspended sentence on charges of illegally entering the country. In an interview about that experience, Foley said he 'would love to go back', but recalled the horror of seeing a colleague killed in a firefight. He also spoke of a love of his profession. 'Journalism is journalism,' he said. 'If I had a choice to do Nashua [New Hampshire] zoning meetings or give up journalism, I'll do it. I love writing and reporting.' In an interview the BBC in a 2012 interview that he was 'drawn to the drama of the conflict and trying to expose untold stories'. He said: 'There's extreme violence, but there's a will to find who these people really are. And I think that's what's really inspiring about it.' 'Journalism is journalism,' Foley said another time. 'If I had a choice to do Nashua (New Hampshire) zoning meetings or give up journalism, I'll do it. I love writing and reporting.'

His alma-mater, Marquette University said it was 'deeply saddened' by Foley's death. It said he had a heart for social justice and used his talents to tell stories in the hopes they might make a difference.

'We extend our heartfelt prayers and wishes for healing to James' family and friends during this very difficult time,' it said in a statement.

The Committee to Protect Journalists condemned what it called Foley's 'barbaric murder' by the Islamic State, which says his killing was retribution for recent U.S. airstrikes in Iraq.



Background: Prior to a career in conflict journalism, James Wright Foley taught reading and writing skills to convicted felons at Cook County Jail in Chicago James Wright Foley, has been missing since November 2012, after being taken hostage at gunpoint by militants from the group Jabhat al Nusra while reporting from Taftanaz, northern Syria

'FRIENDLY, COURAGEOUS AND IMPATIENT': REMEMBERING JAMES WRIGHT FOLEY

The friends of photojournalist James Foley are mourning his loss online, following the 40-year-old's execution by ISIS terrorists.

Foley, from Rochester, New Hampshire, was a seasoned reporter who went missing two years ago while covering the Syrian conflict.

'James Foley was a generous colleague & friend. We had beers in Antakya a week before he was taken. We talked about marriage/kids,' Buzzfeed's Middle East correspondent Sheera Frenkel tweeted.

Following a video posted online showing Foley's graphic beheading, his former employer GlobalPost issued a statement.

'On behalf of John and Diane Foley, and also GlobalPost, we deeply appreciate all of the messages of sympathy and support that have poured in since the news of Jim's possible execution first broke,' Philip Balboni, GlobalPost CEO and co-founder, said.

Remembered: James Foley, reporting from Syria in 2012 before his disappearance Mother Diane Foley talked about her son in a January 2013 interview with a local television station and said her son was 'passionate about covering the story in Syria, passionate about the people there.'

He is the oldest of five children.

According to a bio on the website Free James Foley, the journalist had traveled extensively in the Middle East and North Africa on assignment and had covered conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya.

Prior to becoming a journalist, Foley helped 'empower disadvantaged individuals as a teacher and mentor, assisting them in improving their lives,' the website says.

He had been previously held captive while covering the uprising in Libya, and was released by Gaddafi's forces after six weeks.

Foley spoke about the 44 days of captivity in a video for the Boston Globe in May 2011.

'You don’t want to be defined as that guy who got captured in 2011,' he said. 'I believe that front-line journalism is important.'

Journalist Clare Morgana Gillis was also held captive with Foley in Libya, and wrote a 2013 essay in which she said captivity was 'the state most violently opposite [Foley's] nature.'

She also described him as gentle, friendly, courageous and impatient with 'anything that slows his forward momentum'.

A May article in Vanity Fair about the dangers for journalists in Syria described Foley as 'affable' and devil-may-care'.

At the time of his disappearance, Foley was working as a freelancer for Agence France-Presse's Global Post, but he previously contributed to Stars and Stripes and other outlets.





UK jihadists among the 'most vicious and vociferous fighters' in the world

British extremists are among the most ‘most vicious and vociferous fighters’ in the Islamic State's ranks in Syria and Iraq, a jihadism expert has said.

Sunni Muslims from the UK are taking part in the conflicts ‘in every way’, according to Shiraz Maher, from King's College London's International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation.

That includes acting as suicide bombers and executioners, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme after the video purporting to show James Foley's beheading by a British IS fighter emerged online.

Death: US reporter Daniel Pearl (left) was murdered in Pakistan by British-born Islamic militant Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh (right)



Mr Foley is the second American journalist killed by a Islamist terrorist. Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl was murdered by British born Omar Saeed Sheikh in Pakistan in 2002.

The black-clothed and masked man, who speaks with a London accent, threatened bloodshed in the gruesome video, speaking with confidence of when he accuses America of plotting against Muslims and interfering in their affairs, before taking a knife to his victim's throat.

If it is confirmed, as it appears, that he is British he will be seen as the most extreme example yet of a fighter travelling from the UK to take part in brutal violence as a member of ISIS.

Allegiance: A member loyal to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant waves an ISIS flag in Raqqa

Mr. Maher, a senior research fellow at ICSR, told Today: ‘Unfortunately the British participation in the conflicts now raging in both Syria and Iraq has been has been one of full participation, one that has seen them at the front lines, taking part in the conflict in every way.

‘So we have seen British fighters out there operating as suicide bombers, we have seen them operating as executioners.