About two days ago, the video of American journalist James Foley being beheaded by an ISIS member figured in headlines and started discussions on the evils of terrorism and how to stop it. It also prompted speculations on the figure in black who executed Foley in the clip. Some have noted that the extremist in question had "a London accent," prompting "deep reckoning among Britons on Wednesday over the particularly vicious role their countrymen are playing in the destabilization of the Middle East," The Washington Post reported.
"Foreign fighters are often used for the most brutal acts because they are the most ideologically motivated," explained Peter Neumann, director of the International Center for the Study of Radicalization. "The locals may say, 'That's not the kind of thing we do here.' But the outsiders don't know that."
"They probably picked the Brit because there was no American," Neumann pointed out. "It was important for them to have someone who speaks English fluently."
It should be noted that only an estimated 100 Americans have gone and joined the strife in Syria.
Right now, an international manhunt for Foley's executioner has been launched, with the focus on Britain, based on the fighter's accent.
UK Prime Minister David Cameron had condemned the execution and said that "it looks increasingly likely that it is a British citizen," although the jihadist remained unidentified, CNN noted.
"With an estimated 400 to 500 British recruits in Syria and Iraq -- though some believe the number to be much higher -- it may take time to identify the killer," the news source said.
"Language experts say the masked killer sounds like a man in his 20s who was raised or educated in Britain," CBC news revealed. "John O'Regan, a linguist at the University of London's Institute of Education, said the militant spoke with a 'multicultural London English' accent but with more formal standard English pronunciation, suggesting that his words denouncing American actions in the Middle East had been carefully scripted."
"The person is taking great care to do 'posh talk,' as it were. They're very mindful of their p's and q's," O'Regan observed.
It was learned recently that U.S. special operations units, such as the Navy SEAL Team 6 and Delta Force, were commissioned to rescue Foley and other hostages of Islamic militants this summer.
"Unfortunately, the mission was not successful because the hostages were not present at the targeted location," said Rear Adm. John Kirby, Pentagon spokesman.
Aside from the attempted rescue, it was also reported that the Islamic organization had asked for a $100 million euro ($132.5 million) ransom from Foley's family in exchange for the slain journalist's freedom.
"The message was vitriolic and filled with rage against the United States. It was deadly serious," said GlobalPost CEO Philip Balboni, who employed Foley for the Middle Eastern reporting assignment. "Obviously, we hoped and prayed that would not be the case. ... Sadly, they showed no mercy."
The hunt continues.