British PM condemns Islamic Stage beheading as ‘pure evil’

British Prime Minister David Cameron described the murder of David Haines as an ‘act of pure evil’. A video released on Saturday night appears to show the British aid worker’s beheading by a man cloaked in black.

The video also includes a threat to kill another British hostage.

The 44-year-old aid worker was captured in Syria in 2013 and was held captive by Islamic State militants who had already killed two US journalists.

The Islamic State had threatened to kill Haines at the end of an online video released last month that showed the execution of US journalist Steven Sotloff.
“This is an act of pure evil. My heart goes out to the family of David Haines who have shown extraordinary courage and fortitude throughout this ordeal,” Cameron said. “We will do everything in our power to hunt down these murderers and ensure they face justice, however long it takes.”

Cameron is expected to chair an emergency Cobra committee meeting to discuss this situation.

The British Foreign Office is working to verify the video which features a man who appears to be Haines dressed in orange overalls and kneeling in front of a cloaked man wielding a knife.

The victim identifies himself as David Haines and says that Cameron had entered into a coalition with the US against the Islamic State "just as your predecessor Tony Blair did".

"Unfortunately it is we the British public that in the end will pay the price for our parliament's selfish decisions," he said.

US President Barack Obama said that the US would work with the UK and a "broad coalition of nations" to "bring the perpetrators of this outrageous act to justice".

The 'Islamic State', a self-declared caliphate, is in control of large swathes of  territory in northern Iraq and Syria and CIA say that they could have around 30,000 fighters.