By: Gouthami Gadamsetty, Copy Editor

The public beheading of former UCF student, Steven Joel Sotloff, has once again brought attention to the terrorist group ISIS. The video of Sotloff’s beheading was posted on September 2 and was titled “A Second Message to America.”

AP Human Geography teacher, Mrs. Nicole Broder¸ says, “He was trying to shed light on this global issue and they used him for political means. [ISIS] did it because his death sends a message to the rest of the world.”

According toWESH news, Sotloff was kidnapped near the Syrian-Turkish border in August of 2013. In the first video, released in August 2014, James Foley was beheaded. Sotloff also appeared in an orange jumpsuit and his life was threatened unless the United States stopped airstrikes on ISIS in Iraq.

Junior Riley Bailey says, “It would make sense that they would commit such acts against Americans, especially Americans. Although it’s a bad thing, it could be something that can mobilize the American public to pay attention to the problem.”

In the video showing Sotloff’s death, the executioner ended with  “I’m back Obama. So just as your missiles continue to strike our people, our knife will continue to strike the necks of your people.”

In response to this entire incident, senior Josh Sacks says, “I wasn’t surprised, it was clearly going to happen; it was a chance to invoke attrition. Because they’re making it such a public video, it’s giving them a lot of press attention and building up their legitimacy as a group to fight the West.”

Despite the tragedy and trauma caused by ISIS to the journalists’ families and Americans nationwide, their videos indicate that an end to this suppression of journalists is not in sight.