Obama condemns ‘barbaric’ beheading of David Haines by IS

President Barack Obama on Saturday condemned as a “barbaric murder” the slaying of British aid worker David Haines by Islamic State extremists. In a statement issued Saturday night, Obama said the hearts of Americans go out to Haines’ family and the people of the United Kingdom. The Islamic State jihadist group claimed it executed Haines in retaliation for British leader David Cameron forming a coalition with the U.S. against the militants. This would be the third such execution in recent weeks, after separate videos showing the execution of two U.S. journalists taken hostage in Syria.

The United States stands shoulder to shoulder tonight with our close friend and ally in grief and resolve. We will work with the United Kingdom and a broad coalition of nations from the region and around the world to bring the perpetrators of this outrageous act to justice.

U.S. President Barack Obama

Haines’ family had appealed to his captors to respond to their messages. Haines, a 44-year-old father of two from Perth in Scotland, was kidnapped last year while working for the French agency ACTED. Earlier this month, he was seen kneeling in the sand wearing an orange jumpsuit in an IS video which showed the beheading of U.S. hostage Steven Sotloff. ACTED has previously said Haines had been engaged in humanitarian work since 1999, helping victims of conflicts in the Balkans, Africa and the Middle East.

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