- Three Canadians were among Islamist fighters who tortured and drained the bank accounts of two U.S. journalists held hostage in Syria
- Furious Biden warns ISIS that America will hound it 'to the gates of hell' for beheading Steven Sotloff just hours after Obama vowed to make terrorists 'manageable'
- Hagel reveals 'over 100 US citizens' are fighting alongside ISIS in the Middle East -- a huge increase from previous estimates
The family of Steven Sotloff, the American journalist slaughtered in Syria, have described their son as ‘a gentle soul’ who ‘tried to find good in a world of darkness’ in a statement on Wednesday. Spokesperson Barak Barfi, left, said Sotloff had been 'torn between two poles', keen to live a normal life but also 'pulled by the Arab world'. Sotloff was 'no war junkie', but someone who 'merely wanted to give a voice to those who have none'. Barfi also spoke in Arabic, daring ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to a debate on the tenets of Islam. 'I have a message to Abu Bakhur... I thought that Ramadan brought mercy, where is your mercy?' he said. Sotloff's devastated relatives including his mother Shirley, right, and father Art, center, emerged from their Miami home on Wednesday to pay tribute to their son by holding photos of him and his beloved Miami Dolphins.