White House says beheaded U.S. journalist not 'sold' to Islamic State

[flamingdem]

Source: Reuters

(Reuters) - The United States has no information indicating beheaded American journalist Steven Sotloff was "sold" to Islamic State militants by moderate Syrian opposition rebels, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Tuesday.

Sotloff family spokesman Barak Barfi told CNN on Monday night the family believed Islamic State paid up to $50,000 (31,045.71 pounds) to rebels who told the militant group the 31-year-old journalist had entered Syria.

"Based on the information that has been provided to me, I don't believe that is accurate," Earnest told a news briefing.

He cited an FBI investigation of Sotloff's death, including "how Mr. Sotloff may have come into the hands of ISIL," another acronym for Islamic State.

Barfi told CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" that Sotloff's family learned from unidentified "sources on the ground" that a member of a moderate Syrian rebel group contacted Islamic State militants about Sotloff. He confirmed the comments to Reuters on Tuesday.

Read more: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/09/09/uk-iraq-crisis-sotloff-idUKKBN0H426W20140909

[leftynyc]

1. I saw the spokesman for the family

on the news this morning claiming the family asked the President for one simple thing and it was denied. Anybody have any clue what that is about?

[flamingdem]

2. It might have had to do with paying ransom

- for instance asking Isis what amount they would accept.

I was curious about that too.

[Fred Sanders]

3. You mean the news media does not check sources before it declares Breaking News!? Huh.

Can they please call this shit something other than "news"? Like, maybe, "stuff that may be news"?
Or "not news, just news about what is not news"?

[Enrique]

9. a government denial is not Gospel

the fact that the Sotloff family chose to make that statement is certainly newsworthy.

A news organization should not be afraid of the government contradicting their reports.

[Fred Sanders]

11. Of course not, but what is the evidence as opposed to an opinion?

[Enrique]

12. that's a good question

I plan to watch the Anderson Cooper interview of the family spokesperson. What their evidence is is a basic question, I doubt Cooper would fail to ask it.

[Fred Sanders]

13. I am kind of a stickler for evidence.....makes for lonely times on the internet.

[azurnoir]

4. It could be rather embarrassing if it was the Syrian Rebels® the US government is supporting

[flamingdem]

5. Could be bad or explained away as

Another splinter group - and that's very easy to believe. But ouch if so.

[azurnoir]

6. well maybe for some it is easy to believe myself I'd have to see the evidence

before making up my mind

[flamingdem]

7. We'll see but it's chaos down there. Just today the head of an ultra conservative

rebel group was killed by a bomb. Were they pro or con Isis, the article didn't explain, there are dozens of groups just of that ilk. Plenty will drift in and out of groups so one day it's an Isis member the next day Free Syrian Army and so forth.

[azurnoir]

8. well if there is really that much cross over between ISIS and the Syrian Rebels it seems perhaps the

US should choose a different course

[flamingdem]

16. I don't know what they know of course but I think you're right

My theory is that they want stasis there. All groups keeping each other from winning.

[yurbud]

10. leased?

[quadrature]

14. is the Obama administration still allied with the 'Nice' rebels? ..

are we still sending them guns ?

[flamingdem]

15. Yes, but Obama asked for more money last year

and it was voted down. Meanwhile the group was weakened considerably.