ISIS Email Told Journalist James Foley's Parents He Would Be 'Executed', Letter Published to Tell His Story

The group ISIS sent a chilling email to the parents of executed journalist James Foley, 40, just before his video-taped killing occurred. The American photojournalist's father and mother, John and Diane Foley, received an email on Aug. 12, just seven days before their son was decapitated by members of the Islamic State.

The family said that they first heard their son was kidnapped when they received an email from Foley's kidnappers on Nov. 26, 2013. That email urged the New Hampshire parents to send money, and quickly. Somehow ISIS proved to them that they had Foley in their custody.  

ISIS wanted a ransom that included either more than $130 million or the release of certain jihadist prisoners who were being held in the United States, according to NBC News. The letter was published in the Global Post this week, the online news service that was Foley's main employer. Reports said that the Global Post actually paid millions of dollars to a security firm to try and find Foley, who had been kidnapped once before while reporting in Libya.

The email which made references to sheep and a "blind shepherd" had the following message:

"You have no motivation to deal with the Muslims except with the language of force, a language you were given in 'Arabic translation' when you attempted to occupy the land of Iraq!" the letter read. "Now you return to bomb the Muslims of Iraq once again, this time resorting to Arial attacks and 'proxy armies', all the while cowardly shying away from a face-to-face confrontation!" the email went on to state in reference to airstrikes ordered by the White House in the face of ISIS occupation in areas of Iraq.

"Today our swords are unsheathed towards you, government and citizens alike! And we will not stop until we quench our thirst for your blood," the letter went on to further state. "You do not spare our weak, elderly, women or children so we will NOT spare yours!"

Then the email went on to mention the plan to kill Foley: "The first of which being the blood of the American citizen, James Foley! He will be executed as a direct result of your transgressions towards us!"

ISIS, whose full name is "Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham," made the killing of Foley public when they published a video to YouTube on Aug. 19.