Washington: Islamist militants earlier asked a ransom of over USD 132 million from US journalist James Foley`s family and employer but made no demands in their last message before brutally beheading him on camera, according to media reports.
Philip Balboni, the president and chief executive of GlobalPost for whom Foley was freelancing, told the The Wall Street Journal that the sum was demanded from both the journalist`s family and the GlobalPost.
Balboni declined to discuss their reply to the demand, saying all communication was shared with appropriate government authorities, the report said.
The captors of Foley originally demanded a ransom of USD 132.5 million, Balboni said.
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), which controls large areas of Syria and Iraq, published a video Tuesday showing the beheading of Foley, a 40-year-old originally from New Hampshire.
A militant who appears in the video links the killing to the US intervention in Iraq against ISIS, which refers to itself as the Islamic State.
He says the fate of another American journalist shown in the footage, believed to be Steven Sotloff, depends on what US President Barack Obama does next.
But the threat has done little to curb US military operations in Iraq, with American warplanes continuing airstrikes against ISIS targets.
Calling ISIS a "cancer," Obama said yesterday that the United States "will continue to confront this hateful terrorism and replace it with a sense of hope and civility."
US officials have also revealed that they had tried to rescue Foley and other captives in a special military operation in Syria earlier this summer. But the special forces failed to find the hostages.
Foley, a freelance journalist, was on assignment when he disappeared on November 22, 2012, in northwest Syria, near the border with Turkey.
"The captors never messaged a lot. There was a very limited number with a very specific purpose...They made demands," Balboni was quoted as saying by CNN. Some messages were political and some were financial.
Then last week, his family received an e-mail saying he would be killed. No demands were made in the message.
"The message was vitriolic and filled with rage against the United States. It was deadly serious," Balboni said.
"Obviously, we hoped and prayed that would not be the case...Sadly, they showed no mercy."
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.