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July 24, 2025
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August 10, 2025
Steven Sotloff, an American-Israeli journalist, was kidnapped in Syria by ISIS in August 2013 while covering the civil war. After over a year in captivity, he was executed by beheading in September 2014 in a propaganda video condemning U.S. policies. His death drew global outrage and underscored the grave dangers journalists face in conflict zones.
Steven Sotloff’s last words/work: “I wish I had more time. I wish I could have the hope for freedom to see my family once again.”
Journalist Information:
Name: Steven Sotloff
Age: 31
Gender: Male
DOB: 11/05/1983
Nationality: American/Israeli
Last company worked for: Freelance
Family: Steven Sotloff was survived by his parents Arthur and Shirley Sotloff and his sister, Lauren Sotloff.
Incident Information:
Date of incident – September 2, 2014
Location of the incident – Syrian Dessert, Syria
Offense victim of: Assassination
Weapons included – Knife
Suspect(s) Information:
Name: Mohammed Emwazi “Jihadi John”
Gender: Male
Proof of Targeting the Journalist: In the video, titled “A Second Message to America”, a masked ISIS militant warns President Obama that as long as U.S. airstrikes against ISIS continue, “our knife will continue to strike the necks of your people.” This statement explicitly links Sotloff’s execution to U.S. foreign policy, underscoring that he was targeted due to his nationality and the actions of his government.
Reason for Killing: Steven Sotloff was killed by ISIS as a retaliation against U.S. military intervention in Iraq and Syria, intended to intimidate and deter Western involvement by targeting American citizens.
Progress of the Case: Steven Sotloff’s family filed a civil lawsuit against entities accused of financing ISIS, resulting in a default judgment but the case was later dismissed with prejudice, so no damages were awarded. Criminal prosecutions have sentenced some ISIS members involved, but no direct legal verdict has been delivered specifically for Sotloff’s killing.
Success Factor in Steven’s case: The success factor in Steven Sotloff’s case was the family’s persistence in pursuing both civil litigation against ISIS financiers and criminal prosecutions, which helped bring some perpetrators to justice and raised global awareness of ISIS’s crimes.
Read More: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-29038217