David Cameron condemns James Foley murder as Germany agrees to arm Iraq
David Cameron yesterday called the death of American journalist James Foley at the hands of Islamic State (IS) militants “an act of murder without any justification”.
The Prime Minister left his Cornish holiday to return to Downing Street where he chaired a meeting to discuss the government’s response to IS.
The decision came as defence secretary Philip Hammond confirmed the militant who beheaded Foley was British.
Speaking to the Guardian newspaper, a former hostage who was held in Syria for a year identified the man, who refers to himself as John, as a British national from London.
An international man-hunt is now underway to identify him, after the American government confirmed the video of Foley’s death is genuine.
Cameron warned against a “knee-jerk reaction” yesterday, adding that the government would “redouble its efforts” to stop people joining IS.
Meanwhile, President Obama vowed to be “vigilant and relentless” in the face of violence against America citizens. “We will continue to confront this hateful terrorism,” he added, in a sign that the US would not backtrack on its commitment to aid Kurdish forces with air strikes in Iraq.
In Europe, Germany is the latest state to offer to arm Iraq alongside Italy and France, which is understood to be providing “sophisticated weapons”.