Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary: ISIS Militant Suspected Of Beheading James Foley Appears Again In Steven Sotloff Video
Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary is the British rapper turned ISIS militant believed to have beheaded James Foley, and now the terrorist is suspected again in the videotaped slaughter of Steven Sotloff.
Sotloff, who was being held by ISIS militants alongside Foley, was beheaded in a video released on Tuesday. Many believe that his executioner, a masked man with a British accent, is the same terrorist who killed Foley.
In England, Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary had a somewhat successful rap career with a few songs earning play on BBC radio. In his songs, he made references to drug use and violence, as well as the threat of his family being deported to Egypt.
It is believed that his father, Adel Abdul Bary, was a close lieutenant of Osama bin Laden.
Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary is believed to have left his family’s upscale London home to join ISIS militants in Syria.
The 31-year-old Sotloff disappeared in Syria last year. He appeared during the video that showed James Foley’s beheading, with militants promising to kill him as well unless the United States ceased air strikes against ISIS. The United States has launched more than 120 strikes against ISIS targets, allowing local fighters to push them back and reclaim land.
Some experts believe that Sotloff may have been killed at the same time as Foley, however, noting an identical landscape and weather conditions in both videos.
Before his murder, Steven Sotloff was forced to read a statement condemning the United States. Afterward, the man suspected to be Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary delivered his own message directed at American President Barack Obama.
“I’m back, Obama, and I’m back because of your arrogant foreign policy towards the Islamic State… despite our serious warnings,” the man says.
“We take this opportunity to warn those governments that enter this evil alliance of America against the Islamic State to back off and leave our people alone.”
Sources say that both British and American intelligence agencies are hot on the trail of Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary.
[Image Via Reuters]
