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Extremist group Islamic State (IS) on Thursday released a video of a British journalist John Cantlie to show that he was being held captive by the group.
The video, which was posted on YouTube, shows Cantlie dressed in an orange jumpsuit speaking to the camera – he promised to reveal the “truth” about the extremist group in a series of news-style reports. He also said that he was captured when he left for Syria in November 2012.
There did not seem to be any immediate threat to his life in the video. It is not clear when the footage was shot, but Catntlie refers to recent events in the video, including the IS capturing several parts of Iraq.
Cantlie had contributed to several British newspapers in the past, including Sunday Telegraph and The Sunday Times. He had been held along with a Dutch photographer by Syrian extremists back in July 2012, but was let go in nine days.
In the video, Cantlie says, “I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking ‘he’s only doing this because he’s a prisoner – he’s got a gun at his head and he’s being forced to do this”.
He added that he couldn’t deny that he was a prisoner, but since he was “abandoned” by his government”, his fate rests with the IS and he had “nothing to lose”.
“I’m going to show you the truth behind the systems and motivation of the Islamic State”, he said, adding that he would “convey some facts” to save the lives of several others.
He also said that a war with the IS would be “yet another unwinnable conflict”, apparently referring to previous wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.
He also criticized the UK and US governments, saying that while other nations like France and Spain were willing to negotiate with the extremists to release their citizens, “the British and Americans were left behind”, saying that London and Washington “thought they could do it differently to every other European country”.
The video was quickly taken down from the site as it violates its violence policy.