The Kidnapping
James Foley would remain active in the Middle East for several months, covering a variety of stories for the GlobalPost, as well as several other publications. This period represented the height of the Syrian Civil War, and these dangerous conditions would soon mean that danger would find Foley once again, this time while in the company of John Cantlie, a British journalist. The pair were ambushed and abducted as they were leaving an internet café en route to the Turkish border. According to several sources, the journalists were working on a film depicting Cantlie’s first abduction, as well as his eventual rescue by the Free Syrian Army.
Buttons in support of James Foley are displayed during a panel discussion about the importance and dangers of reporting on world conflicts at a Free James Foley event on May 3, 2013 in Boston. (Photo credit DON EMMERT/AFP/Getty Images)
Family members of Foley’s claim that they believe the Shabiha militia were responsible for the kidnapping that would ultimately cost Foley his life. Initially, there were different reports that Foley and Cantlie were being held at a Syrian Air Force Intelligence base somewhere in Damascus. Starting in late 2013, Foley’s family had made contact with his captors, who were demanding a ransom of approximately 100 million euros (or 132 million US dollars) from them and the GlobalPost. Reportedly, his family was planning to attempt to negotiate a lower amount for his release, which constitutes a breach of US laws. Though his employer and US intelligence made progress as to the whereabouts of the imprisoned journalist, nothing was done until the summer of 2014, when a window of opportunity for a rescue operation presented itself.