Steven Sotloff

A Kurdish security officer escorts Alexanda Kotey, left, and El Shafee Elsheikh

Former ISIS member is found guilty in US federal court

El Shafee Elsheikh, a former British citizen accused of taking part in a brutal ISIS hostage-taking scheme, has been convicted in a federal court in Virginia of assisting in the kidnapping and deaths of four Americans between 2012 and 2015.

Former ISIS member is found guilty in US federal court
Mohamed was important in Libyan's revolution, helping to defeat and ultimately capture Muammar Gaddafi. His younger brother missed out on Libya's revolution — so he decided to make his own fame by going to Syria to fight in the violent revolution there.

2014 was the year youth protesters found their voice and hacking became an everyday fear

2014 was the year youth protesters found their voice and hacking became an everyday fear
A masked man speaking in what is believed to be a North American accent in a video that Islamic State militants released in September 2014.

ISIS taunts the West in its latest beheading video

ISIS taunts the West in its latest beheading video
President Barack Obama delivering his address to the nation, Wednesday, on his plans for military action against the Islamic State, from the Cross Hall of the White House.

Can the US 'destroy' ISIS without American ground troops?

Can the US 'destroy' ISIS without American ground troops?
The World

These activists swim with sharks and crocodiles so you'll stop killing them

These activists swim with sharks and crocodiles so you'll stop killing them
Michael Bassin, 28, looking at Twitter posts from the extremist group ISIS. Bassin monitored the posts as part of a volunteer effort to ensure there were no mentions online of captured American journalist Steven Sotloff's Jewish and Israeli identity.

Murdered journalist Steven Sotloff was Jewish and Israeli — and here's how his friends tried to cover it up

When Steven Sotloff's friends discovered he was being held captive by ISIS militants, they set out to hide any reference to the fact that he was Jewish and a dual American-Israeli citizen — and succeeded.

Murdered journalist Steven Sotloff was Jewish and Israeli — and here's how his friends tried to cover it up
A militant Islamist fighter waves a flag during in a military parade along the streets of Syria's northern Raqqa province.

Turkey tries to amp up its border security as the threat from ISIS rises

Turkey, NATO's southern flank, shares a border with ISIS extremists. For years, that border has been easy to cross, allowing foreign fighters to stream into Syria. Now, with ISIS on the rampage, Turkey is trying to shut down the border, but it may be too late.

Turkey tries to amp up its border security as the threat from ISIS rises
White House press secretary Josh Earnest

An ISIS video appears to show the killing of American journalist Steven Sotloff

Steven Sotloff, an American reporter held for more than a year after his capture in Syria, appeared to be the victim of an execution by the Islamist militant group ISIS. After being shown in the recording of journalist James Foley's killing, Sotloff's murder was also filmed and distributed on the Internet.

An ISIS video appears to show the killing of American journalist Steven Sotloff
American journalist Steven Sotloff in Libya.

A friend remembers American journalist Steven Sotloff

A video has been released purportedly showing the beheading of US journalist, Steven Sotloff, at the hands of militants from the terrorist organization that refers to itself as the Islamic State. Janine di Giovanni, Middle East editor at Newsweek, a friend and colleague of Sotloff's, remembers him from better times.

A friend remembers American journalist Steven Sotloff
A man holds up a knife as he rides on the back of a motorcycle touring the streets of Tabqa in celebration after ISIS militants took over Tabqa air base in Syria, on August 24, 2014.

This could be the end of reporting from Syria

With the death of James Foley and the continued captivity of Steven Sotloff, even seasoned war correspondents think that groups like ISIS may have made Syria too dangerous for foreign correspondents to cover the civil war there.

This could be the end of reporting from Syria
A sign outside a shop remembers James Foley in his hometown of Rochester, New Hampshire. Islamic State militants killed the journalist in a brutal videotaped beheading in revenge for US air strikes in Iraq.

They'll never admit it, but many countries pay ransoms to get their hostages back

If you're being held hostage by terrorists overseas and you're French or Spanish, there's a good chance your government will find a way to free you — by paying a ransom through indirect means. If you're American or British, your best bet is to try and escape — or hope for a daring military raid.

They'll never admit it, but many countries pay ransoms to get their hostages back
Journalist James Foley

If you're a kidnapped American hoping for help from the government, 'that isn’t going to happen'

James Foley's kidnapping and murder is a sad trend in the war in Syria, but it's paying off for terrorist groups. They've collected millions of dollars in ransoms, and journalist David Rohde, who spent seven months in Taliban captivity, says current kidnapping policies aren't keeping journalists safe.

If you're a kidnapped American hoping for help from the government, 'that isn’t going to happen'