Prime Minister Stephen Harper is condemning the beheading of American journalist James Foley in Iraq by Islamic state militants, calling it part of a “degrading and disgusting” campaign of terror.
He also said the Canadian government has been in contact with international allies and that he expects to announce additional steps to address the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria threat in the coming days.
Speaking in British Columbia while en route to his annual visit to the Canadian North, Mr. Harper said the conflict in Iraq and Syria threatens more and more countries and represents a long-term threat to the security of Canada itself.
A video released on line on Tuesday showed Foley, a 40-year-old freelance journalist, being decapitated by a masked man. ISIS militants said his beheading was in retaliation for U.S. military action in Iraq.
Foley went missing in northern Syria in November 2012 while freelancing for Agence France-Presse and the Boston-based media company GlobalPost.
The car in which he was riding was stopped by four militants in a contested battle zone that both Sunni rebel fighters and government forces were trying to control. He had not been heard from since.
The video also shows another man on his knees. He was identified as American journalist Steven Sotloff. The militants say his future “depends” on President Barack Obama’s “next decision.”
Mr. Sotloff, also a freelance journalist, worked for Time Magazine, the National Interest and MediaLine. He went missing in Syria in August 2013 after being kidnapped near the Syrian-Turkish border.
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