#stevensotloff

STEVEN SOTLOFF

11 May 1983-c.2 September 2014

VICTIM OF ISIS

            Steven Sotloff was an American-Israeli journalist. He was the son of Jewish parents from Florida, Miami, US; he was a grandson of Holocaust survivors. He studied journalism at University in 2004 and in 2008, graduated in government studies and counter-terrorism. He immigrated to Israel after he fell in love with the country; he was a citizen of both Israel and the US. His Jewish background wasn’t exposed whilst working in Islamic countries or during his time captive under ISIS, however; this information was online. Sotloff was interested in the Middle East and went to Yemen to study Arabic.

            At the beginning of the year he was in Israel, he then went to Kilis, on the border of Turkey and Syria. He intended to return to the US, but wanted to see more of Syria first.

            On 4 August 2013, he was kidnapped with his fixers in Aleppo, Syria, and was held captive by militants from ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria). The fixers were released 15 days later. He was held in Raqqa. Before he was murdered, he was filmed critizing Barack Obama for not fulfilling his pre-election promise to bring all American soldiers home. His family and government quietly attempted to have him released. A month before his death journalist James Foley was beheaded by ISIS.

            On 2 September 2014, ISIS released a video showing a militant beheading Sotloff.

            US President Barack Obama said that the US would take action to ‘degrade and destroy’ ISIS.