AP Chief Says James Foley's Murder Should Be Treated As A War Crime

Associated Press CEO Gary Pruitt condemned the murder of journalist James Foley in a statement on Wednesday.

A video posted online on Tuesday claimed to show Foley being beheaded by the militant group ISIL in Syria. The U.S. government and Foley's family have concluded that the video is authentic. His murder should be treated as a war crime, according to Pruitt.

"The Associated Press is outraged by the killing of James Foley and condemns the taking of any journalist's life," he said in a statement. "We believe those who kill journalists or hold them hostage should be brought to justice. Further we believe the assassination of a journalist in wartime should be considered an international crime of war." View the entire statement here.

Foley was an American photojournalist who went missing in Syria, where he was covering the civil war, in 2012. He contributed to the GlobalPost and Agence France-Presse, among other media outlets.