The mother of an American journalist held captive by militant group Islamic State released a video on Wednesday appealing directly to the group's leader for his release. "I am sending this message to you, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi al-Quraishi al-Hussaini, the caliph of the Islamic State. I am Shirley Sotloff. She added that her son is an "ho**rable man and has always tried to help the weak." Sotloff, 31, went missing in Syria last year while covering the conflict there.