The militant Islamic State group has released a new video in which a man identifying himself as a British journalist says that he will "show you the truth" about ISIS and how western media is manipulating the public.
The chilling video shows a man who says he is John Cantlie. Cantlie, a former reporter for the Sunday Times, the Sun and the Sunday Telegraph, went missing in Syria in 2012, but was later freed by the Free Syrian Army. Cantlie reportedly then returned to Syria in 2012, along with US journalist James Foley. Foley was beheaded by ISIS in August, a horrific killing that was also recorded and released on video.
The video was posted to YouTube. Unlike the previous ISIS videos, Cantlie is not shown kneeling before any captors. Instead, he is seated by himself at a desk. He calls himself a prisoner and pledges to expose crucial facts that could help save lives. The journalist says that, over the course of several videos, he will be showing how the Islamic State functions and how western media can "twist and manipulate" the truth to try and "drag the public back to the abyss."
Cantlie directly addresses his status as a hostage:
"I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, he's only doing this as a prisoner. He's got a gun at his head, and he's being forced to do this, right? Well, it's true. I am a prisoner. That I cannot deny. But, seeing as I've been abandoned by my government and my fate now lies in the hands of the Islamic State, I have nothing to lose. Maybe I will live, and maybe I will die."
In the video, Cantlie warns against the US and other nations launching any sort of attack on the Islamic State, suggesting that they will not win.
"After two disastrous and hugely unpopular wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, why is it that our government appears so keen to get involved in yet another unwinnable conflict."
Cantlie concluded with a final, troubling message for viewers:
"There is time to change this seemingly inevitable sequence of events," he said. "But only if you, the public, act now."
Watch the video to see Cantlie's full statement.