British Prime Minister David Cameron yesterday described an Islamic State group video apparently showing the execution of five British “spies” as “desperate stuff” designed to deflect from their recent military losses.
The group threatened Britain in the Internet video on Sunday showing the killing of five people it said worked with the international coalition fighting IS in Iraq and Syria.
“It’s desperate stuff from an organisation that really does do the most utterly despicable and ghastly acts and people can see that again today,” Cameron said during a visit to east London.
“This is an organisation that’s losing territory... increasingly losing anybody’s sympathy, and this again shows what an appalling organisation we’re up against.”
In the footage, an English-speaking IS fighter mocks Cameron for challenging IS, and calls him an “imbecile”.
“This is a message to David Cameron,” says one of the gunmen, speaking in a British accent.
Britain’s Foreign Office issued a short statement saying: “We are aware of the video and are examining the content.”
The prime minister said IS was motivated by a hatred for Britain’s “tolerant, democratic, multi-faith” values and that the militants would not succeed in the long term.
“Britain will never be cowed by this sort of terrorism. Our values are so much stronger than theirs,” he said.
“It may take a very long time but they will be defeated.”
British warplanes, which were already attacking IS positions in Iraq, at the beginning of December began targeting the militants in Syria also.
The footage revived memories of “Jihadi John”, a British Islamic State member who appeared in several videos in which hostages were killed before his own death was reported in an air strike late last year.
 The US said in November it had killed Mohamed Emwazi, who as “Jihadi John” had become a symbol of Islamic State. The voice and appearance of the masked militant shown in the new video was different from Emwazi, but he spoke in a clear English accent, waving a gun at the camera while criticising Cameron.
Some British media speculated that the militant might be Siddhartha Dhar, who is also known as Abu Rumaysah, a convert from Hinduism and a high-profile Islamist, although security experts were divided on whether it was him.
Dhar left Britain with his family to travel to Syria despite being on police bail after being arrested in late 2014 on suspicion of being a member of a banned organisation.
After the killings of the five men, a young English-speaking boy, who is wearing a black bandana and appears to be about four or five years old, is shown saying: “So go kill the kuffar right over there.”
The father of Grace Dare, a woman from London who left Britain to join Islamic State and marry a militant, said he believed the boy was her son.
“It’s my grandson. I can’t disown him,” Sunday Dare told Channel 4 News.
“He doesn’t like it over there. It’s propaganda. They are just using a small boy. He doesn’t know anything. They are just using him as a shield.”
In November, British officials said that up to 800 Britons had travelled to Iraq and Syria, some to join Islamic State. About 50% had returned home while about 70 were believed to have been killed.