UK close to identifying Briton suspected of beheading

A masked Islamic State militant holding a knife speaks next to man purported to be U.S. journalist James Foley at an unknown location in this still image from an undated video posted on a social media website. REUTERS/Social Media Website via REUTERS TV

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Britain is close to identifying a man, thought to be British, who was shown beheading U.S. journalist James Foley in a video released by the Islamic State militant group last week, its ambassador to the United States, Peter Westmacott, told CNN.

"We are close" to identifying the man in the video, Westmacott told CNN's "State of the Union" programme on Sunday.