Horrific.
Via Fox News:
The Islamic State terror group has claimed to have beheaded American hostage Peter Kassig, an aid worker and former Army Ranger, in a graphic new video.
In the nearly 16-minute video uploaded to social networks on Sunday, a black-clad militant with his face concealed stands before a severed head that he claims is that of the U.S. aid worker.
The authenticity of the footage has not been verified. National Security Council spokesperson Bernadette Meehan said in a statement that intelligence officials were “working as quickly as possible to determine its authenticity.
“If confirmed, we are appalled by the brutal murder of an innocent American aid worker and we express our deepest condolences to his family and friends,” Meehan said. The video was posted shortly after President Obama departed for Washington from the G-20 summit in Australia.
Ed and Paula Kassig, Peter’s parents, released a statement early Sunday saying they were aware of the reports of their son’s death and were awaiting confirmation of their authenticity. They also asked that media outlets not post any images or video distributed by Islamic State, better known as ISIS.
“We prefer our son is written about and remembered for his important work and the love he shared with friends and family,” the statement read, “not in the manner the hostage takers would use to manipulate Americans and further their cause.”
The video also showed what appeared to be the mass beheading of more than a dozen captured Syrian soldiers, but did not show the beheading of the person identified as Kassig, 26. Showing the execution of the soldiers is a departure from previous videos, which did not depict the act of beheading. The soldiers’ executioners are not wearing masks in the video and warn they will carry out similar actions outside the region.