David Haines, British aid worker beheaded by ISIS, Alan Henning next
Islamic State Sunni militants released a new video on social media on Saturday showing the beheading of British aid worker David Haines. In the video the masked Muslim with a British accent addresses U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron, before beheading Haines.
David Haines beheaded by ISIS in new video
Haines, 44, was an aid worker from Scotland who was abducted in Syria last year while working for the French aid agency ACTED. He appeared in a video earlier this month showing the beheading of American journalist Steven Sotloff, just weeks after the group sparked worldwide revulsion by beheading U.S. reporter James Foley.
In a similar format as the previous videos, the clip begins with news footage of Cameron discussing his policy towards the militant group, before showing Haines kneeling in the sand, wearing an orange jumpsuit, as he makes a statement. The ISIS leader warns Britain will be dragged into “another bloody and unwinnable war” for helping to arm the Kurdish Peshmerga force battling the group in Iraq.
The man later threatens another hostage, who also appears in the video, saying he is British national Alan Henning. According to Syrians who wrote on Twitter that they recognized the man, Henning is an also an aid worker captured in Syria.
“If true, this is another disgusting murder,” the British government’s Foreign Office said in a statement. “We are offering the family every support possible. They ask to be left alone at this time.”
Prime Minister Cameron decried the killing as “pure evil” and vowed to find the killers: “The murder of David Haines is an act of pure evil. My heart goes out to his family who have shown extraordinary courage and fortitude,” he tweeted.
“We will do everything in our power to hunt down these murderers and ensure they face justice, however long it takes.”
A statement from the White House said, “The United States strongly condemns the barbaric murder of UK citizen David Haines by the terrorist group ISIL. Our hearts go out to the family of Mr. Haines and to the people of the United Kingdom.”
