Steven Sotloff Reportedly Was Sold To ISIS By Syrian Rebels

Steven Sotloff, the American jouirnalist who was brutally beheaded in the ISIS video, was reportedly sold to the ISIS by Syrian rebels.

According to an earlier report from the Inquisitr, Sotloff was beheaded by a masked terrorist, after the group had made a promise to get revenge for American intervention. James Foley was the first American citizen to be captured, who was also beheaded. Steven Sotloff made a statement in the video directed towards Americans.

“I’m back, Obama, and I’m back because of your arrogant foreign policy towards the Islamic State.”

The spokesman for Steven Sotloff‘s family told CNN’s Anderson Cooper that the journalist was sold by Syrian rebels for as much as $50,000. Barak Barfi said that Steven Sotloff was lead to a fake checkpoint after he crossed the Syrian border where ISIS captured him.

“We believe that these so-called moderate rebels that people want our administration to support, one of them sold him probably for something between $25,000 and $50,000 to ISIS, and that was the reason he was captured.”

Barfi also attacked the Obama administration for the inaccuracy of the statements made about Sotloff’s disappearance.

“We know that the intelligence community and the White House are enmeshed in a larger game of bureaucratic infighting and Jim and Steve are pawns in this game and that’s not fair and if there continues to be leaks the Sotloff family will have to speak out to set the record straight.”

As of 4:50 p.m., White House spokesperson Josh Earnest disputed the claim that Sotloff was sold.

“Based on the information that has been provided to me, I don’t believe that is accurate.”

Barfi has not yet commented on the White House’s statement.

Since the two beheadings, Obama’s public approval rating has dropped. However, there has been a huge increase in approval for American airstrikes against ISIS, which Obama has endorsed and done. After ISIS’s execution of two American journalists, support for air strikes against ISIS in Iraq has swelled from 45 percent in June to 71 percent now. Support for arming their Kurdish opponents is up by 13 points, to 58 percent, in just the past month.

Tomorrow, Obama will address the nation to detail his plan to combat ISIS. After the beheadings of James Foley and Steven Sotloff, Obama will most likely take aggressive actions against ISIS.