Captured US journalist's mother makes appeal to IS for son's release

The mother of the US journalist Steven Sotloff has issued a plea to the Islamic State, who have held the journalist captive since 2013, to release her son unharmed.

Appealing directly to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who considers himself to be a Caliph, Shirley Sotloff said he should follow the example of the Prophet Mohammed, who she said "protected the people of the book" referring to the Islamic leader's historical protection of other Abrahamic religious groups like Christians and Jews.

"I am Shirley Sotloff. My son Steven is in your hands,” she said in a video released to the New York Times.

“You, the caliph, can grant amnesty. I ask you please to release my child. I ask you to use your authority to spare his life.”

She said that Sotloff had no power over US foreign policy and that he should not be punished for actions beyond his control.

"I’ve learned that Islam teaches that no individual should be held responsible for the sins of others. He has no control over the actions of the US government."

Steven Sotloff’s capture in Aleppo in 2013 had been kept secret at the behest of Shirley Sotloff.

The blackout was broken last week after another video, allegedly showing the killing by IS of US journalist James Foley, featured Sotloff kneeling and threatened with beheading if the US does stop its aerial assaults on the militant Islamist group.

On Friday, US Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes said the beheading of Foley "represents a terrorist attack against our country". 

Rhodes said Friday that the U.S. would not be restricted by geographical borders when the lives of Americans are at stake, perhaps alluding to the other American nationals currently believed to be held captive by IS. 

"If you come after Americans, we’re going to come after you wherever you are, and that’s what’s going to guide our planning in the days to come," he said, hinting at possible U.S. operations on IS targets within Syria.  

The Committee to Protect Journalists has listed 67 journalists killed in Syria since the beginning of violence in the country.

The organisation has labelled Syria the most dangerous place in the world to be a journalist for more two years.