UK close to identifying Foley killer

Britain's ambassador to the United States says police and spy agencies are close to identifying the English-accented militant depicted on video showing the killing of US journalist James Foley.

Peter Westmacott told CNN on Sunday that "we're not far away" from naming the man in the Islamic State group video.

He said investigators were using techniques including sophisticated voice-recognition software to identify the masked, knife-wielding figure.

British newspapers reported on Sunday that investigators were looking at several British jihadists thought to be in the Raqqa area of Syria.

One is Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, a former rapper from London, who reportedly has joined militants in Syria.

He is the son of Abdel Abdul Bary, an alleged al-Qaeda operative who was extradited from Britain to the US in 2012 to face terrorism charges.