Young child features in IS propaganda video

Young child features in IS propaganda video

Warning: This video contains images that may be disturbing to viewers.

A newly released propaganda video by Islamic State (IS) features a young boy with a British accent apparently making threats to kill non-Muslims.

It's the latest in a string of violent videos aimed at the West, and also used as a recruiting tool.

The video also features five men on their knees, with hands tied behind their backs, waiting to be executed.

Believed to be Syrian, they're accused by IS of being British spies.

The man presenting the unverified video speaks English with a British accent and he has a message for the country's Prime Minister, David Cameron.

He mocks Mr Cameron, calling him an "imbecile", a "slave of the White House", and a "mule of the Jews".

It follows Britain's decision last month to join coalition airstrikes against IS targets.

If legitimate, it will be the first video to feature an English speaker since Jihadi John – the British militant believed to have been killed during a US drone strike in November.

And there's more – a young boy, dressed in military fatigues, appearing to make threats to kill.

It's not the first time IS has used children in its propaganda. Last year, it released pictures of a young boy beheading a Syrian army officer.

The CIA's former deputy director Michael Morrell believes the video's timing may be deliberate, with IS recently losing territory in the key Iraqi city of Ramadi.

"I think this is a message to their supporters that they're still in the game after these series of defeats, particularly Ramadi," he says.

British authorities are now trying to figure out the individual's identity.

3 News