US service to mourn journalist slain by militants
A woman holds a candle during a vigil for James Foley in his hometown of Rochester, N.H., Saturday, Aug. 23, 2014. Several hundred people attended and paid tribute to the freelance American journalist who was killed earlier in the week by Islamic State militants. Foley was abducted in November 2012 while covering fighting in Syria. AP
ROCHESTER, New Hampshire — The American journalist beheaded by Islamic State militants, James Foley, is being remembered in a Catholic ceremony at his hometown church.
Sunday’s Mass of Remembrance in Rochester, New Hampshire, comes five days after the extremists posted a Web video of Foley’s killing and billed it as retaliation for American air strikes against Islamic State targets in northern Iraq.
The 40-year-old Foley, a freelance photojournalist, was kidnapped in Syria in November 2012. His captors reportedly demanded a 100 million euro ($133 million) ransom for his release.
US President Barack Obama on Wednesday called Foley a hero for telling the stories of oppressed people in war-torn Syria and Libya. American special forces launched a secret Syrian raid this summer to rescue Foley and other hostages, but failed to pinpoint their location.
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