James Foley Ransom: ISIS Demanded $132M From GlobalPost, US Journalist's Family, Before Beheading

Before they beheaded American journalist James Foley, ISIS demanded a nine-figure ransom from his family and the online publication he worked for, GlobalPost, in exchange for his release, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The development comes a day after it was revealed that U.S. Special Forces attempted a rescue operation in Syria that failed because Foley and other captives had been moved.

The Islamic State, the militant group formerly known as ISIS, demanded 100 million euros ($132.5 million) as ransom from Foley’s family and GlobalPost, Philip Balboni, the publication’s president and chief executive, told the Journal. He did not go into details about how the news site responded to the demands, but said communication between ISIS and GlobalPost was passed on to authorities. The New York Times reported that the U.S. refused to pay the ransom.

Earlier this summer, U.S. forces attempted an operation in Syria to rescue Foley and other hostages, the White House told NBC News on Wednesday. The operation involved Special Operations forces who swooped in on a compound with cover from U.S. fighter jets. They engaged ISIS militants at the compound and a gun battle ensued, but the operation was aborted after it was determined there were no hostages at the location.

“It all happened very quickly,” a White House official told the network.

The Defense Department also gave a brief explanation of the operation on Twitter:

President Barack Obama authorized the mission because the U.S. “had what we believed was sufficient intelligence,” Lisa Monaco, assistant for homeland security and counterterrorism, said in a statement. "It was the national security team's assessment that these hostages were in danger with each passing day in [ISIS] custody."

Despite the failed operation, Monaco said Obama "could not be prouder of the U.S. forces who carried out this mission and the dedicated intelligence and diplomatic professionals who supported their efforts.”

ISIS released footage Wednesday of Foley being beheaded. The video also showed Steven Sotloff, another U.S. journalist, who ISIS threatened to also kill depending on Obama’s “next decision.”