British PM breaks holiday after apparent US journalist execution

LONDON, Aug 20 (AFP): British Prime Minister David Cameron broke off his holiday Wednesday for talks on the threat posed by Islamic State jihadists following the "shocking and depraved" apparent beheading of US journalist James Foley.

Cameron was returning to his Downing Street office in London to discuss the situation in Iraq and Syria as experts worked on trying to identify the executioner in the beheading video, who spoke with a British accent.

"If true, the murder of James Foley is shocking and depraved. I will today chair meetings on the situation in Iraq/Syria," Cameron said on Twitter.

The video posted Tuesday on the Internet showed a masked militant beheading a man resembling Foley, who has been missing since he was seized in Syria in November 2012.

Downing Street said in a statement that Cameron would meet with Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond and other senior officials "to discuss the situation in Iraq and Syria and the threat posed by ISIL (Islamic State) terrorists".

Wednesday was to have been the second day of the prime minister's break in Cornwall, southwest England.

Hammond voiced his "absolute horror" at the apparent beheading, which he said is "just is one more example in a catalogue of brutality by this organisation," referring to IS.