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'''James Wright Foley''' (October 18, 1973 – c. August 19, 2014) was an American freelance [[Photojournalism|photojournalist]] |
'''James Wright Foley''' (October 18, 1973 – c. August 19, 2014) was an American freelance [[Photojournalism|photojournalist]] of the [[Syrian Civil War]] for [[Agence France-Presse]] and [[GlobalPost]] when he was abducted on November 22, 2012 in northwestern [[Syria]]. Foley became the first confirmed American citizen to be martyred in the name of the [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|Iraqi-Syrian caliphate]] revolution, an [[al-Qaida]] offshoot, also referred to as ISIS since its proclamation.<ref name=first>{{cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/steven-sotloff-american-journalist-threatened-with-isis-execution|title=Another American hostage threatened with death|author=Alyssa Newcomb|work=[[CBS News]]|agency=World News|date=August 20, 2014|accessdate=August 20, 2014}}</ref> |
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==Early life and education== |
==Early life and education== |
Revision as of 13:53, 24 August 2014
James Foley | |
---|---|
File:James Foley in 2011.jpg | |
Born | James Wright Foley October 18, 1973 |
Died | c. August 19, 2014 (age 40) |
Cause of death | Beheading |
Nationality | American |
Other names | Jim Foley |
Alma mater | Marquette University University of Massachusetts Amherst Medill School of Journalism |
Occupation | Photojournalist |
Employer | Freelancer |
Parent(s) | John and Diane Foley |
James Wright Foley (October 18, 1973 – c. August 19, 2014) was an American freelance photojournalist of the Syrian Civil War for Agence France-Presse and GlobalPost when he was abducted on November 22, 2012 in northwestern Syria. Foley became the first confirmed American citizen to be martyred in the name of the Iraqi-Syrian caliphate revolution, an al-Qaida offshoot, also referred to as ISIS since its proclamation.[1]
Early life and education
Foley was a native of Rochester, New Hampshire,[2] and attended Kingswood Regional High School in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire.[3] He was the oldest of five children born to John and Diane Foley.[4] He was a Catholic.[5][6]
Foley graduated from the private Jesuit, Marquette University, in 1996.[7] He graduated from the MFA Program for Poets & Writers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2003.[8] Foley graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism in 2008.[9]
Career
Foley began his career as a teacher in Arizona, Massachusetts, and Chicago, Illinois, and moved to a career in photojournalism in the mid-2000s.[10]
In April 2011, Foley, working for GlobalPost, and three other journalists were detained near Brega, Libya, by forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi during the Libyan Civil War; fellow photojournalist Anton Hammerl was killed in the attack in which Foley was captured.[11][12] Foley was released from jail 44 days later.[12] He returned to Milwaukee to thank the community for praying for his safe return.[13] He also wrote an article for Marquette Magazine about how rosary prayers helped get him through his captivity.[14][15] Foley quickly returned to Libya, and with GlobalPost correspondent Tracey Shelton he was at the scene of Muammar Gaddafi’s capture on October 20, 2011.[16]
Foley continued working as a freelancer for GlobalPost and other media outlets such as the French agency Agence France-Presse until he was captured in Syria in 2012.[17]
Kidnapping and death
Foley was kidnapped in northwestern Syria on his way to toward the Turkish border along with his translator on November 22, 2012.[18] The translator was later released.[19]
Sources in the investigation proccess say Foley was initially kidnapped by Shabiha militia, a group loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. He was later reportedly held in the custody in a Syrian Arab Air Force intelligence complex in Damascus.[20][21]
The Islamic State (IS) demanded a 100 million euro ransom (approximately 132 million US dollars) from Foley's family, GlobalPost, his employer, and the U.S. for his release during a period of time when communication was being exchanged November to December 2013.[22][23][24] The chief executive officer of GlobalPost, Philip Balboni, stated that the company spent millions on efforts to bring Foley home, including hiring an international security firm. In September 2013 the firm was able to locate Foley and had been able to follow his locations. He had moved many times during his captivity.[24][25][26]
U.S. President Barack Obama authorized in July 2014 the “substantial and complex” rescue operation after the officials said a “broad collection of intelligence” led the U.S. to believe the hostages were being held in a specific location in Syria, but the mission failed because the hostages were not at the location.[27] The operation was a major undertaking, involving special operations forces from multiple branches of the military, including the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, helicopters, fixed wing aircraft and drones.[28] When U.S. Delta Force commandos landed in the eastern Syrian city of Raqqa, they were met with gunfire and while on site, it became apparent the hostages were not there.[29] The special operators engaged in a firefight in which IS suffered casualties, while the American forces suffered only a single minor injury. Foley and the other hostages were not located. The operation was only revealed after Foley's death. It represented the first confirmation of U.S. troops operating on the ground within Syria during the Syrian Civil War.[27][30]
On August 12, 2014, Foley's parents received an email from his captors taking issue with the U.S. government, saying it had refused to pay ransoms, unlike other governments, refused to negotiate prisoner exchanges, and had no motivation to deal with Muslims except through force. The email's authors said they had left the U.S. alone since its "disgraceful defeat in Iraq," but would avenge the U.S. bombings, initially with the death of Foley. John Foley, the father of James, said he didn't realize how brutal his captors were. Even after receiving the email, he held out hope his son's release could still be negotiated.[31] The family had reportedly been preparing to break U.S. law to pay a ransom (undisclosed amount) for his release.[32]
Foley's whereabouts were unknown to most until August 19, 2014, when IS uploaded to YouTube a video entitled ″A Message to America″. Though quickly deleted, it continued to circulate widely on other sites and was widly disseminated on social media. The video appears to have been filmed in several separate takes. The video does not show Foley actually being decapitated.[33] After his corpse is shown, the masked man reveals that IS is holding another American journalist, Time magazine contributor Steven Joel Sotloff, and said that he would be killed if U.S. President Obama did not halt air strikes against IS.[34][9] The video was shot at an unknown desert location, and media sources gave the name Jihadi John to the masked man who carried out the killing and made the threats.[35]
On August 20, 2014, the United States National Security Council confirmed that the video was authentic.[36] On August 19, 2014, the day before, Foley's family had confirmed his death.[37][38]
His mother, Diane Foley, posted on the "Free James Foley" page on Facebook: "We have never been prouder of our son Jim, he gave his life trying to expose the world to the suffering of the Syrian people".[7] Pope Francis called Foley's family to express his condolences.[39] Foley's brother said he believed the U.S. government could have done more to save James during hostage negotiations, due to the government's policy of not paying ransom and other unspecified issues.[40]
The U.S. Justice Department is pursuing a criminal investigation into the beheading death of James Foley, Attorney General Eric H. Holder announced on August 21: “We will not forget what happened and people will be held accountable, one way or the other”.[41]
It was reported that security services, examining the video, would narrow the search for the killer by analysing his voice and clothes and using the fact he was left-handed. The pattern of veins on the back of his hand might also be analysed and a separate team of analysts would use the topography of the landscape in the video in an attempt to identify the location. The colour of the killer’s skin had suggested that he was either black or of Asian origin.[42]
Honors
On August 22, 2014, Indian sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik created a sculpture depicting the face of Foley, made of four tons of sand on the beach of Puri city in the eastern province of Odisha. The sculpture, with a message reading "Don't kill innocents!", drew sizeable crowd on the beach.[43]
The James Foley Scholarship in the J. William and Mary Diederich College of Communication was established at Marquette University in his honor.[44][45]
See also
References
- ^ Alyssa Newcomb (August 20, 2014). "Another American hostage threatened with death". CBS News. World News. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ Arkin, Daniel (August 19, 2014). "James Wright Foley, Kidnapped Journalist, Apparently Executed by ISIS". NBC News. Retrieved 19 August 2014.
- ^ Marquard, Bryan; Sampson, Zachary T. (August 21, 2014). "James Foley, exemplar of bravery to many, dies at 40". Boston Globe. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- ^ Hoai-Tran Bui (August 20, 2014). "Foley set out to record 'most dangerous things'". USA Today. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
- ^ Levitz, Jennifer (August 20, 2014). "In Fear and Violence, Slain U.S. Journalist Found Humanity". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ Reston, Maeve (August 20, 2014). "Slain journalist James Foley's hometown in New Hampshire grieves". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ a b Johnson, Annysa; Barton, Gina (August 20, 2014). "Islamic militants execute journalist, MU grad James Foley". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ Lederman, Diane (20 August 2014). "James Foley, journalist reportedly slain by ISIS, is UMass-Amherst graduate". The Republican. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ^ a b "Video shows ISIS beheading U.S. journalist James Foley". CNN. August 20, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ "Profile: James Foley, US journalist beheaded by Islamic State". BBC News. August 20, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ Harris, Elizabeth A. (April 7, 2011). "Four Foreign Journalists Held in Libya". New York Times. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- ^ a b Begley, Patrick (August 20, 2014). "James Foley describes his capture in Libya". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- ^ Sater, Terry (August 19, 2014). "Kidnapped journalist James Foley reportedly killed". WISN-TV. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- ^ "Faith, prayer sources of strength for slain U.S. journalist, his family". Catholic News Service. August 20, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- ^ Foley, James. "Phone call home". Marquette Magazine. Marquette University. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- ^ "Foley beheading video followed prior threat". GlobalPost. August 19, 2014. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
- ^ "Foley beheading video shocks the world, Obama says". BBC News. August 20, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ "American journalist likely being held by Syrian government". Shalon. May 3, 2013.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ "FBI profile: James Wright Foley". FBI. Archived from the original on 2014-07-19. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
{{cite web}}
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suggested) (help) - ^ Nickisch, Curt (May 3, 2013). "N.H. Family: Missing Journalist James Foley In Syrian Prison". Boston: WBUR-FM. NPR. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- ^ Kelley, Michael B. (August 20, 2014). "One Big Question Surrounds The Murder Of US Journalist James Foley By ISIS". Business Insider. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- ^ "Before Killing James Foley, ISIS Demanded Ransom From U.S." Middle East News.Net. 20 August 2014. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
{{cite news}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ Cassandra Vinograd and Erin McClam (August 21, 2014). "ISIS Demanded $132 Million for Release of Journalist James Foley". NBC News. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
- ^ a b "Report: ISIS Demanded $132 Million Ransom For James Foley's Release". CBS. Washington D.C. AP. August 21, 2014. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- ^ "GlobalPost CEO Shares Details Of Fight To Save James Foley". National Public Radio. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
- ^ Sampson, Zachary T. (August 20, 2014). "Militants sent e-mails to James Foley's family, GlobalPost CEO says". Boston Globe. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- ^ a b Julia Pace (August 20, 2014). "Officials: U.S. rescue mission in Syria failed". Yahoo! News. AP. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ Ackerman, Spencer (August 21, 2014). "US reveals failed special forces rescue mission within Syria". The Guardian. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
- ^ Oliver Holmes and Jason Szep (August 23, 2014). "U.S. hostage rescuers dropped from night sky, Syria activist says". Yahoo! News. Reuters. Retrieved August 23, 2014.
- ^ "Pentagon admits failure of operation to free Americans held by jihadists". Big News Network.com. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
{{cite news}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "Jihadists sent chilling email to Foley family before execution". Big News Network.com. 22 August 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ "IS jihadists demanded ransom to free Foley". Middle East News.Net. 21 August 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
{{cite news}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ Rukmini Callimachi (August 19, 2014). "Militant Group Says It Killed American Journalist in Syria". New York Times. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ Parts of James Foley execution video may have been acted: experts, theaustralian.com.au.
- ^ "Rise of "Jihadi John"". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- ^ "Video of U.S. journalists is authentic: NSC". Yahoo! News. Reuters. August 20, 2014. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ Rik Steves (August 19, 2014). "American killed in Syria a journalist at heart". Yahoo! News. AP. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ Lerman, David (August 19, 2014). "Islamic Extremist Video Shows Beheading of U.S. Reporter". Bloomberg News. Retrieved August 20, 2014.
- ^ "Pope Francis Calls Slain Journalist James Foley's Family". NBC News. Retrieved 21 August 2014.
- ^ Katie Couric and Liz Goodwin (August 22, 2014). "James Foley's brother: The U.S. could have done more for Jim". Yahoo! News. Retrieved August 22, 2014.
- ^ By S.A. Miller. "Justice Department investigating terrorist killing of James Foley". Washington Times. Retrieved 2014-08-24.
- ^ Rayner, Gordon (20 August 2014). "Video clues that could unmask James Foley's murderer". Telegraph. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
- ^ Indian artist sculpts sand art decrying killing of US journalist - Video Dailymotion
- ^ "James Foley scholarship, Marquette University" Retrieved August 23, 2014.
- ^ "Foley's parents say his Marquette experience sparked his life's mission". Jsonline.com. Retrieved 2014-08-24.
External links
- Free James Foley, family website
- August 13, 2014, snapshot at Wayback Machine