An American journalist’s final words before ISIS terrorists executed him reveal the twisted cruelty of Islamic extremists who deliberately timed his murder to coincide with his mother’s birthday.
Story Highlights
- James Foley spoke six chilling final words: “Great, captured on Thanksgiving Day, killed on my mum’s birthday”
- ISIS held the GlobalPost correspondent for two years before executing him in propaganda video
- President Obama authorized 14 air strikes against ISIS positions in direct response to Foley’s execution
- British ISIS executioner “Jihadi John” was later killed in drone strike; accomplice serves life sentence
ISIS Terrorists Orchestrated Psychological Torture
James Foley’s kidnapping on November 22, 2012, marked the beginning of a two-year nightmare that exposed ISIS’s calculated brutality. The terrorists seized Foley near the Turkish-Syrian border while he worked as a correspondent for GlobalPost, documenting Syria’s civil war.
ISIS deliberately held him captive for 24 months, using the time to extract maximum psychological impact from his eventual execution. This systematic approach to hostage-taking demonstrates how Islamic extremists weaponize human suffering for propaganda purposes.
The timing of Foley’s final words reveals ISIS’s deliberate cruelty in scheduling executions to inflict maximum emotional damage on victims’ families. According to ISIS’s own propaganda magazine Dabiq, Foley told British photojournalist John Cantlie his tragic realization: “Great, captured on Thanksgiving Day, killed on my mum’s birthday.”
This coordination between capture and execution dates shows the terrorists’ methodical planning to traumatize not just victims but their loved ones permanently.
Obama Administration Responded with Military Force
President Obama authorized 14 air strikes targeting ISIS positions near Iraq’s Mosul dam immediately following the release of Foley’s execution video in 2014. The graphic propaganda footage forced Foley to read scripted statements declaring America “the real killer” before his beheading.
This military response marked a significant escalation in U.S. involvement against ISIS, demonstrating how terrorist propaganda backfired by galvanizing international opposition rather than intimidating Western nations.
The execution video’s professional production quality revealed ISIS’s sophisticated understanding of media manipulation and psychological warfare. The terrorists used Foley’s journalism background and American citizenship to maximize international attention, calculating that his murder would advance their recruitment and intimidation objectives.
Instead, the barbaric act unified global resolve against the Islamic State and accelerated military operations that ultimately led to the organization’s territorial defeat.
Justice Delivered Against ISIS Executioners
Mohammed Emwazi, the London-born terrorist known as “Jihadi John” who executed Foley, was killed in a 2015 drone strike in Raqqa. His accomplice Alexanda Kotey, dubbed “Jihadi George,” now serves a life sentence at ADX Florence supermax prison in Colorado.
These British nationals formed part of the “ISIS Beatles,” a group of English-speaking terrorists who specialized in executing Western hostages for propaganda videos.
In 2022, Diane Foley courageously met with Kotey at a Virginia courthouse, where the convicted terrorist expressed remorse and acknowledged he would never see his children again due to his crimes.
This extraordinary encounter demonstrated the profound human cost of Islamic extremism, as Foley’s mother channeled her grief into advocacy for hostage liberation and journalist safety. Her strength contrasts sharply with the cowardice of terrorists who target innocent civilians to advance their twisted ideology.
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US journalist beheaded ISIS twisted execution said six tragic final words
Journalist beheaded by terrorists uttered six chilling final words
