Following a preliminary assessment, United Kingdom’s intelligence agencies have said that the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) have made false claims that the five hostages murdered in their new video were British spies.
Prime Minister David Cameron confirmed that the video was a ‘desperate’ attempt by the ISIS which was now losing ground following the pressure from allied airstrikes.
“I watched a part of [the video] yesterday and I think it is absolutely desperate tactics from an organisation that is clearly now on the back foot. It’s losing territory. It lost Ramadi, but what is so clear about it is that they continue to use the most disgusting and repulsive tactics and actions which demonstrate exactly who these people are and I think that’s plain for everyone to see,” Cameron told LBC radio.
Britain’s three intelligence agencies – MI5, MI6 and GCHQ – have been analysing the recent video since its release and concluded that none of the hostages were working for Britain.
However, the agencies did not rule out the possibility that the hostages were working for other allied countries.
Hamoud al Mousa, who describes himself as the founder of the anti-Isis activist group Raqqa is Being Silently Slaughtered, told the Guardian that he did not know the identity of the victims and asserted that they were not part of the organisation.
ISIS recently released a new 11-minute propaganda video which included a ‘message for David Cameron’ which was read by a man in a balaclava who threatens to attack UK.
