A reporter abducted and decapitated by the infamous ISIS militant known as “Jihadi John” reportedly uttered six final words before his tragic demise. James Foley went missing on November 22, 2012, in northwest Syria close to the Turkish border after being forcibly taken by ISIS gunmen. At the time, Foley was employed by the US online news platform GlobalPost. Two years later, a video surfaced showing Foley kneeling beside a black-clad individual, reciting a message prepared by the terrorists blaming the US as the “real killer” before his beheading. Moments before his execution, Foley conversed with British photojournalist John Cantlie.
Reportedly, Foley remarked to Cantlie, “Great, captured on Thanksgiving Day, killed on my mom’s birthday.” Cantlie’s words were published in ISIS’ propaganda magazine Dabiq, likely written under coercion. In 2017, reports emerged stating that Foley had been killed in an airstrike in Mosul.
Former US President Barack Obama condemned Foley’s execution, stating, “The entire world is appalled. No just God would stand for what they did yesterday or every single day. People like this ultimately fail. They fail because the future’s won by those who build and not destroy. The world is shaped by people like Jim Foley.”
Following the video release, American forces conducted 14 airstrikes targeting ISIS militants near the Mosul dam in northern Iraq. Foley’s murderer, Jihadi John, whose real name was Mohammed Emwazi and who belonged to the ISIS Beatles group, was killed in a drone strike in Raqqa in 2015.
In 2022, Diane Foley, James’ mother, confronted one of the individuals involved in her son’s murder. Alexanda Kotey, nicknamed Jihadi George, is presently serving a life sentence at the ADX Florence supermax prison in Colorado. Diane, dedicated to hostage rescue missions since her son’s death, met with Kotey at a Virginia courthouse for four hours. Describing the encounter, she expressed her desire for Kotey to comprehend the atrocities he committed and the noble intentions of individuals like James in Syria, striving to report the truth globally. Diane also mentioned Kotey’s remorseful demeanor, sharing a photo of his estranged family, indicating the personal losses incurred due to his allegiance to hatred and propaganda.
