BREAKING NEWS: British aid worker Alan Henning beheaded by ISIS brute 'Jihadi John'... who threatens to kill US war veteran next
- Video claiming to show beheading of aid worker Alan Henning posted online
- Militant appears to be Jihadi John, and has the same thick London accent
- David Cameron brands group 'repulsive' saying killers will be hunted down
- American war veteran Peter Kassig is threatened with execution next
Published:
15:20 EST, 3 October 2014
|
Updated:
16:22 EST, 3 October 2014
British
aid worker Alan Henning has been beheaded by ISIS fighter Jihadi John
in a video online video posted by the terror group.
Before
he is killed, a gaunt and tired looking Mr Henning gives a short forced
speech in which he blames his execution on Parliament's decision to
launch strikes against Islamic State in Iraq.
The
clip, which is in English with Arabic subtitles, then shows Jihadi
John stepping forward to cut Mr Henning's throat before it cuts to
black, then shows his body lying on the desert floor.
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British aid worker Alan Henning has been beheaded by Jihadi John in an ISIS video posted online
At the end of the footage American war veteran Peter Kassig is shown and threatened with the same fate
He
says: 'I am Alan Henning. Because of our parliament’s decision to
attack the Islamic state I as a member of the British public will now
pay the price for that decision.'
In
a thick London accent, the fighter adds: 'The blood of David Haines was
on your hands Cameron, Alan Henning will also be slaughtered but his
blood is on the hands of the British parliament.'
In the footage, Mr Henning appears visibly thinner than in previous pictures, and has large dark rims underneath his eyes.
Jihadi
John then moves to cut Henning's throat and the footage cuts to black,
before his body is shown lying on the desert floor.
TRANSCRIPT OF ISIS VIDEO
Alan
Henning: 'I am Alan Henning. Because of our parliament’s decision to
attack the Islamic state I as a member of the British public will now
pay the price for that decision.'
Jihadi
John: 'The blood of David Haines was on your hands Cameron, Alan
Henning will also be slaughtered but his blood is on the hands of the
British parliament.'
Jihadi John then steps forward to cut Mr Henning's throat and his body is shown lying on the floor.
Peter Kassig is then shown kneeling next to Jihadi John.
Jihadi
John: 'Obama you have started your aerial bombardment in Sham (Syria)
which keeps on striking our people, so it’s only right we continue to
strike the necks of your people.'
The
black-clad militant then reappears with Peter Kassig, who is shown
kneeling in the same position as Mr Henning with a caption showing his
name.
He
then adds: 'Obama you have started your aerial bombardment in Sham
(Syria) which keeps on striking our people, so it’s only right we
continue to strike the necks of your people.'
There
were hopes that Mr Henning could be freed after a sharia court set up
by Islamic State to investigate claims he was a spy found him innocent.
The
footage begins with an English-language news report broadcast on the
night Parliament voted to approve airstrikes against Islamic State.
It
then cuts to static and fades to black, before the note 'Another
message to America and its allies' appears on the screen in English and
Arabic.
The
beheading, which has not yet been confirmed by the Foreign Office,
comes just three days after Mr Henning's wife Barbara issued a tearful
plea to the group.
She said: 'I ask Islamic State please release him, we need him back home.
‘Muslims across the globe continue to question Islamic State over Alan’s fate.
'Their
position regarding his situation is unequivocal. He is innocent ... We
are at a loss why those leading Islamic State cannot open their hearts
and minds to the truth about Alan’s humanitarian motives for going to
Syria and why they continue to ignore the verdict of their own justice
system [not guilty of spying].
Killing comes days after Mr Henning's wife, Barbara, made an impassioned plea for him to be returned home
Mr Henning was captured by the group on Boxing Day last year as he delivered aid to Syrian refugees
‘Surely those who wish to be seen as a state will act in a statesmanlike way by showing mercy and providing clemency.’
Mr Henning, from Salford, was seized on Boxing Day last year as he delivered aid to Syrian refugees.
The Foreign Office last night said they were looking into reports that Mr Henning had been killed.
David Cameron said: ‘The brutal murder of Alan Henning by ISIL shows just how barbaric and repulsive these terrorists are.
‘My thoughts and prayers tonight are with Alan’s wife Barbara, their children and all those who loved him.
‘Alan
had gone to Syria to help get aid to people of all faiths in their hour
of need. The fact that he was taken hostage when trying to help others
and now murdered demonstrates that there are no limits to the depravity
of these ISIL terrorists.
‘We will do all we can to hunt down these murderers and bring them to justice.’
The
White House said it is aware of the video and is evaluating it, a U.S.
official said. If proved real, it is 'another demonstration of the
brutality' of Islamic State militants, a spokesman said.
The
Islamist terror organisation also published a video message from an
injured British fighter, challenging David Cameron to send ground troops
to Iraq.
In
a rant directed at ‘that despicable swine David Cameron’, the unmasked
jihadi - former Morrissons worker Omar Hussain - said: ‘Send them all,
send your reserves and your backup and we’ll send them back one by one
in coffins.’
Although the RAF has started bombing targets in Iraq, the Prime Minister has ruled out sending ground troops.
Dubbed
the ‘supermarket jihadi’, the Huaainn, 27, from High Wycombe previously
worked for the chain as a security guard. He lived with his mother and
brothers before travelling to Syria in January 2014.
Muslim leaders had appealed to ISIS
over the threat to kill Mr Henning, who was working for an Islamic aid
organisation, saying it went against the religion
It
was reported that the chilling message also calls on all British
Muslims to ‘rise up’ in their own country if they cannot join the fight
in Iraq and Syria.
The British fighter asked: ‘What does the West have to offer you? What does that filthy despicable country have to offer you?’
The
video mirrors other beheading videos shot by the Islamic State group,
which now holds territory along the border of Syria and Iraq.
The
Associated Press could not immediately verify the video's authenticity,
though it was released in the same manner as other Islamic State group
videos.
U.S. VETERAN AND AID WORKER WHO COULD BE JIHADI JOHN'S NEXT VICTIM
Peter
Edward Kassig, a 26-year-old from Indiana, started a non-profit
organisation called Special Emergency Response and Assistance (SERA).
The
Iraq war veteran, who was living in Beirut to provide relief for
refugees of the Syrian crisis, is believed to be the latest American to
be taken hostage by ISIS.
Writing
on his profile page on fundraising website FundRazr, Mr Kassig said he
had previously worked as a medic in a hospital in Tripoli, Lebanon.
He
said: ‘When I first started this cause to help those in need, I was on
my own but I saw first-hand the shortages in available resources and
supplies for people who were suffering in Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey as a
result of the violence.
‘The
amount of feedback and support from people all around the world
motivated me to get organised and develop a platform through which
people could send donations to support the continuation of my work.’
Kassig joined the U.S. Army Rangers in 2006 and was deployed to Iraq in 2007.
He
was honourably discharged for medical reasons after a brief tour and
returned to the United States to study political science.
However, in 2010, he decided to take time off from his studies and began his certification as an emergency medical technician.
He then decided to travel to Beirut to try and help those in need as a result of the Syria crisis.
It was after a short time in the country that he started up his own aid group, SERA.
Few details are publicly known about how Kassig was taken captive and the US State Department had not commented last night.
