President Obama Gave Brief Comments on ISIS and the Execution of American Journalist James Foley

President Obama just finished speaking about the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, which released a video purporting to show the execution of American journalist James Foley.  

NPR is reporting that U.S. intelligence analysts have confirmed that the video is authentic.

A video that was released online Tuesday in which the extremist group the Islamic State claimed to behead American journalist James Foley is authentic, according to U.S. intelligence analysts. Foley was abducted in Syria in 2012.

 

The video was uploaded to YouTube on Tuesday afternoon and later removed; since then, it has resurfaced elsewhere online. The images show Foley kneeling next to a masked militant and reciting comments against the U.S. before being killed.

 

After analyzing the footage, National Security Council spokesperson Caitlin Hayden says, “We have reached the judgment that this video is authentic.”

 

The execution likely will be the focus of remarks by President Obama, who is expected to speak at 12:45 p.m. ET.

The President’ address was streamed live by Whitehouse.gov. The stream has now ended.