Alan Henning, a British man, was apparently threatened by ISIS in a video that purports to show the beheading of David Haines, an aid worker who is also from the UK. The Foreign Office said it’s working to verify the authenticity of the footage.
It’s unclear how Henning was captured in Syria.
According to a transcript posted on Matthew Keys’ The Desk, Haines said this in the video: “My name is David Cawthorne Haines. I would like to declare that I hold you, David Cameron, entirely responsible for my execution. You entered voluntarily into a coalition with the United States against the Islamic State, just as your predecessor, Tony Blair, did, following a trend amongst our British prime ministers…”
His statement is similar to ones made by Steven Sotloff and James Foley, who were both beheaded by ISIS.
After that, a masked man presumably with ISIS speaks before apparently cutting his head off.
The UK Foreign Office issued a statement about the video to the BBC, saying it’s working to verify the accuracy of the video.
Story is developing…
#BreakingNews #ISIS threatens to execute another British citizen named Alan Henning. #Iraq #Syria #UK pic.twitter.com/79MDmTA3lT
— Rami(ط) (@RamiAlLolah) September 13, 2014
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS UPDATE for ISIS:
Strikes in Iraq, Syria expected under new war plan
WASHINGTON (AP) — As U.S. forces gear up for airstrikes in Syria, the first demonstration of President Barack Obama’s more aggressive military campaign against the Islamic State group is likely to unfold first in Iraq as early as next week, officials say.
In Syria, U.S. planes and drones will be gathering intelligence on targets and air defense threats in preparation for airstrikes there. At the same time, a wider range of targets — perhaps including Islamic State leaders — are expected to come under attack in Iraq.
U.S. warplanes have launched 158 strikes in Iraq over the past five weeks while emphasizing a relatively narrow set of targets. The focus has been Obama’s initial goal of defending U.S. personnel, protecting critical infrastructure such as major dams and enabling humanitarian relief operations.
New strikes Friday destroyed two Islamic State armed vehicles in an effort to support Iraqi troops near the Mosul Dam and in defense of Irbil, the military’s U.S. Central Command said.
More U.S. troops, along with additional intelligence-gathering aircraft, are expected to arrive in northern Iraq next week. That will enable an expanded surveillance effort over Syria by a range of aircraft, including Predator and Reaper drones as well as Navy EA-18G electronic warfare planes that are capable of jamming air defense radars and striking ground targets.
Without citing a specific timeline, the Pentagon’s press secretary, Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby, said the air campaign in Iraq, which began Aug. 8, will enter a new, more aggressive phase designed to exploit theIslamic State group’s vulnerabilities, which include a lack of effective defenses against U.S. warplanes.
“In coming days we’re going to be more aggressive and shift a focus from what has been to date primarily defensive in nature to more offensive in nature,” he said. He suggested that this will include strikes atIslamic State leaders in Iraq.
