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James Foley beheading: UK close to identifying jihadist James Foley beheading: UK close to identifying jihadist
(35 minutes later)
The UK is close to identifying a suspected jihadist who is believed to have beheaded a journalist, ambassador to the US Peter Westmacott has said.The UK is close to identifying a suspected jihadist who is believed to have beheaded a journalist, ambassador to the US Peter Westmacott has said.
The UK has been trying to identify the Islamic State militant with an English accent who appears in footage of the killing of US journalist James Foley.The UK has been trying to identify the Islamic State militant with an English accent who appears in footage of the killing of US journalist James Foley.
"We are very close to identifying who this guy is," Mr Westmacott told CNN."We are very close to identifying who this guy is," Mr Westmacott told CNN.
Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the death was a "betrayal of everything the British people stand for".Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said the death was a "betrayal of everything the British people stand for".
'Sophisticated technologies''Sophisticated technologies'
Mr Westmacott also told NBC's Meet the Press: "We're not in a position to say exactly who this is but I think we are close."Mr Westmacott also told NBC's Meet the Press: "We're not in a position to say exactly who this is but I think we are close."
He said "sophisticated" voice recognition technology was being used to identify the suspect.He said "sophisticated" voice recognition technology was being used to identify the suspect.
Referring to the 500-plus British citizens who are thought to have travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight in the past few years, he said: "It's not just about one brutal murderer - it is a threat to our citizens." Earlier this month, extremist group Islamic State (IS) published a video of the moments before and after the apparent beheading of Mr Foley, who was seized in Syria in 2012.
The AFP news agency, meanwhile, quotes Mr Westmacott as saying: "I can't say more than this but I know from my colleagues at home that we are close. Referring to the 500-plus British citizens who are thought to have travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight in the past few years, Mr Westmacott said: "It's not just about one brutal murderer - it is a threat to our citizens."
"We're putting a lot into it and there are sophisticated technologies, voice identification and so on which people can use to check who these people are," Westmacott said. His comments come after Foreign Secretary Mr Hammond wrote in the Sunday Times that the government was investing "significant resources" to tackle "a barbaric ideology".
Mr Westmacott 's comments come after Foreign Secretary Mr Hammond wrote in the Sunday Times that the government was investing "significant resources" to tackle "a barbaric ideology". Mr Hammond also warned the threat from conflicts in Syria and Iraq could last a generation.
He said the threat from conflicts in Syria and Iraq could last a generation. It comes after Downing Street announced the appointment of a new security convoy to Iraq.
Lt Gen Sir Simon Mayall, the government's senior defence advisor for the Middle East, will travel to the country next week to meet political leaders.
Work is also under way to supply "non-lethal equipment" to Kurdish forces who are battling IS, including night vision equipment and body armour, the spokesman added.