Journalist James Foley, who was reportedly kidnapped in Syria in 2012, has been beheaded, a graphic video released by supposed Islamic State militants purports to show. The video appears to show Foley kneeling beside a man dressed in all black. It begins with a speech by President Obama announcing the U.S. military would begin targeted airstrikes against the Islamic State, the group that has declared a caliphate across parts of Syria and Iraq also known as ISIS, to stop its advance on Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan.

The video switches to a black screen with white writing that reads: “A Message to America.” Foley then begins to recite a message, presumably written for him by ISIS, about his “real killer” — America. At the end of the video, the executioner begins sawing at Foley’s neck with a knife. After a blackout, the last image appears to show Foley’s head, detached, lying on top of his body.

“I call on my friends, family and loved ones to rise up against my real killers, the U.S. government. For what will happen to me is only a result of their complacency and criminality,” Foley reads as he kneels beside an armed militant, masked and dressed all in black. “My message to my beloved parents: Save me some dignity, and don’t accept some minor compensation for my death from the same people who effectively hit the last nail in my coffin with their recent aerial campaign in Iraq. I call on my brother John, who is a member of the U.S. Air Force: Think about what you are doing. Think about the lives you destroy, including those of your own family … I wish I could have the hope of freedom and seeing my family once again, but that ship has sailed. I guess all in all, I wish I wasn’t American.”

Towards the end, the terror group threatens to kill another hostage, Steven Joel Soltoff, a journalist who has contributed to TIME who has been missing since the middle of last year.

“The life of this American citizen, Obama, depends on your next decision,” the man says as he holds Soltoff by the neck.

Youtube removed the video shortly after it was posted.

His death could not be confirmed independently.

Foley was a freelance journalist, originally from New Hampshire, who wrote for media outlets including Global Post.

(Source: IBI Times / NY Daily News)