Islamic State demanded $132-mn ransom before beheading Foley
22 Aug 2014
The Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria who beheaded US journalist James Foley this week had previously demanded a ransom of over $132 million from Foley's family and employers, but made no demands in their last message before brutally beheading him on camera, it emerged on Thursday.
Philip Balboni, the president and chief executive of news website GlobalPost for whom Foley was freelancing, told The Wall Street Journal that the sum was demanded from both the journalist's family and GlobalPost.
Balboni said Foley's captors originally demanded a ransom of $132.5 million. He declined to discuss their reply to the demand, saying all communication was shared with appropriate government authorities.
The Islamic State, formerly known as ISIS, controls large areas of Syria and Iraq. It published a video Tuesday showing the beheading of Foley, a 40-year-old originally from New Hampshire.
(See: West aghast as Islamic Militants video beheading of US scribe)