French journalist might know identity of James Foley killer

French journalist Didier François said on Wednesday that he might know who killed the journalist James Foley. François was held in captivity with Foley before he was freed in April.

Journalist James Foley in Tripoli on May 18, 2011. He was kidnapped on November 22, 2012. REUTERS/Louafi Larbi

Didier François spoke to Europe 1 radio on Wednesday and when he was asked if he recognised the killer, he responded that ‘recognised’ is a big word, but “I see roughly who it is”.

The American journalist Foley was beheaded by an Islamic State (IS) militant, believed to be a British man called ‘John’, and the horrific video was released on Tuesday.

François made no public statements about other journalists that remained captive after his own release, including the American Steven Sotloff, who was also shown in the video. François was told that the remaining hostages would face reprisals if he did so.

François said Foley had been singled out for harsh treatment by IS after pictures of his brother who works for the US Air Force was found on his computer.

Another French journalist, Nicolas Henin, who was captured in Syria in 2013 and released with François in April, has also described the seven months he spent in captivity with Foley in a BBC interview. Henin said that during their time together, Foley shared what he could, like blankets and food, with the other hostages.