The Islamic State group released a new video on Friday in which British hostage John Cantlie reveals that he believes he too will soon be executed like his former cellmates.
Cantlie opens the video with an introduction of himself as the British citizen "abandoned" by his government and imprisoned by the Islamic State. He goes on to say that he will use this video to detail the circumstances of a failed attempt by the American government to rescue him and the other hostages, which resulted in them being "left for dead." Cantlie continues with an explanation of what he calls a "failed raid" on July 4, and criticized the government for choosing such a complex operation over settling to pay a ransom.
"Why would you have put all those lives in danger when you could have peacefully negotiated like everyone else," he asks. "Why is a military option always the first option for our countries?"
Cantlie adds that the Obama administration has known about their captivity for months, calling it "a massive lie" every time Obama appears shocked at the news of another execution.
Perhaps the most chilling part of the new video is when Cantlie admits that he too believes he will be executed like the hostages before him, the latest being American hostage Abdul-Rahman Kassig.
"Long ago, I accepted that my fate will overwhelmingly likely be the same as my cellmates," he says, "and I'm angry about it."
Earlier this year, five other videos were released showing the horrific killings of U.S. journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, American aid worker Peter Kassig and British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning.
This video differs from the last, released in late October, which appeared to show Cantlie in the Syrian border town of Kobani. Cantlie has returned to his usual position behind a desk, wearing an orange jumpsuit, purportedly reading from a script, speaking directly into the camera.