- Peter Kassig appears in latest ISIS video showing British aid worker's death
- In footage, 26-year-old is shown on his knees as he is held by 'Jihadi John'
- Video released tonight claims to show beheading of hostage Alan Henning
- 'Jihadi
John' tells camera that President Obama's aerial bombardment in Syria
means that 'it is only right to continue to strike necks of your people'
- Mr Kassig enlisted in the Army in 2006 and served in the Iraq war in 2007
- He
then went to provide aid to Syrian war refugees and his family said
that while in captivity he converted to Islam and took the name Abdul
Rahman
Published:
21:47 GMT, 3 October 2014
|
Updated:
12:38 GMT, 4 October 2014
An
Iraq war veteran who launched his own aid group to provide medical help
for Syrian war refugees has been named as the next potential victim of
ISIS.
Former
U.S. Army Ranger Peter Kassig, 26, has been confirmed as the latest
American hostage to be held by Islamic State militants after he featured
at the end of a video showing the beheading of British aid worker Alan
Henning.
In
the footage, which emerged on the internet tonight, Mr Kassig, from
Indianapolis, is shown on his knees next to 'Jihadi John'.
The
young aid worker is being held by the Jihadi who tells the camera that
President Obama's aerial bombardment in Syria means that 'it is only
right to continue to strike the necks of your people.'
Scroll down for video
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Former U.S. Army Ranger and Iraq war
veteran Peter Kassig, 26, is believed to be the latest U.S hostage to be
held by Islamic State militants in Syria after he featured at the end
of Alan Henning's execution video (above)
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The 26-year-old, from Indianapolis, (pictured) enlisted in the Army in 2004 and was deployed to Iraq in 2007
While Mr Kassig can be seen on his knees, a caption on the screen reads, 'Peter Edward Kassig (American).'
In a direct address to President Barack Obama, 'Jihadi John' then tells the camera: 'Obama
you have started your aerial bombardment in Sham (Syria) which keeps on
striking our people, so it's only right we continue to strike the necks
of your people.'
U.S.
officials confirmed this evening that Kassig was being held by Islamic
State militants but declined to give any more details of his capture.
President Obama's counterterrorism adviser, Lisa Monaco, said the US had seen the video and was evaluating it.
'This
is again yet another just very clear example of the brutality of this
group, and why the president has articulated and is moving out in a
comprehensive way to degrade and destroy ISIL,' she said, using an
acronym for the group.
'Our
hearts go out to the British aid worker who we believe is in that
video, and to the remaining hostages and to their families.'
Tonight, Mr Kassig's parents Ed and Paula released a statement in the wake of the video asking people to pray for their son.
They
confirmed he was captured on October 1 last year on his way to Deir
Ezzour in eastern Syria but said the family had kept silent about his
abduction 'at the wish of those who have held their son'.
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He was captured on October 1 last year on his way to Deir Ezzour in eastern Syria while providing aid relief
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His family said he had converted to Islam while being held captive and had taken the name Abdul Rahman
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Mr Kassig, from Indianapolis, was deployed to Iraq for a brief period in 2007 before becoming an aid worker
The family statement added: 'The Kassig family extends our concern for the family of Alan Henning.
'We have read about his work and his generous character with great respect and admiration.
'We
ask everyone around the world to pray for the Henning family, for our
son, and for the release of all innocent people being held hostage in
the Middle East and around the globe.'
The
family also added that while in captivity in Syria, Mr Kassig converted
to Islam and took the name Abdul Rahman. They said they had heard from
former hostages who told them his faith had been providing him comfort.
Butler
University in Indianapolis, where Mr Kassig studied political science
in 2010, also released a statement in the wake of the video.
It said: 'Peter Kassig was a student at Butler University from 2010 to 2012, majoring in political science.
'Since his time at Butler, Peter has dedicated his life to humanitarian work in the Middle East.
'The thoughts and prayers of the Butler University community are with Peter and his family.'
Indiana Democratic Senator Joe added: 'This is an unimaginably devastating situation for any parent to endure.
'My
prayers are with Peter's parents at this terrible time. My family, like
everyone in Indiana and across our country, is praying for and thinking
of Peter and his family.
'I ask for respect of the Kassig family's privacy as they seek to navigate this heartbreaking situation.
'I ask all Hoosiers to continue to keep Peter in their thoughts and prayers in the days ahead.'
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Mr Kassig enlisted in the Army in 2004 and was deployed to Iraq between April 2007 and September 2007
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Mr Kassig set up a non-profit organisation called Special Emergency Response and Assistance to provide aid
It
is understood that Mr Kassig enlisted in the Army in 2004, and became a
Ranger, ultimately serving in the 75th Ranger Regiment - an Army
special operations unit.
According
to his military record, he trained at Fort Benning in Georgia in 2006,
and was deployed to Iraq from April to July 2007.
He
was medically discharged at the rank of private first class in
September 2007 and returned to the United States to study political
science.
However, in 2010, he decided to take time off from his studies and began his certification as an emergency medical technician.
In 2012, he then decided to travel to Beirut to try and help those in need as a result of the Syria crisis.
Last
year, in an interview with Time, he said he did so because he was
'interested in what I could learn about the Syrian crisis first-hand and
what I could do to help raise awareness about the crisis'.
It
was after a short time in the country that he started up his own aid
group called Special Emergency Response and Assistance — SERA.
SERA's
main focus is to provide 'Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Syria with
medical assistance, medical supplies, and clothing for refugees, and
non-perishable food as well as cooking fuel, cooking stoves,' and other
supplies, according to its Facebook page.
Mr
Kassig told Time that he designed the organisation around a belief that
'there was a lot of room for improvement in terms of how humanitarian
organizations interact with and cooperate with the populations that they
serve.'
SERA,
he said, focused on supplementing the work of larger organisations by
delivering aid that could 'do the most good for the most people over the
longest period of time possible.'
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A video claiming to show the beheading of British aid worker Alan Henning emerged on the internet tonight
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Mr Henning, 47, was taken hostage by Islamic State militants on Boxing Day last year while giving aid in Syria
'It's
about showing people that we care, that someone is looking out for
those who might be overlooked or who have slipped through the cracks in
the system for whatever reason,' he said.
Writing
on his profile page on fundraising website FundRazr, Mr Kassig also
said he had previously worked as a medic in a hospital in Tripoli,
Lebanon. He said it was during that time that he decided to set up his
aid charity.
He
said: 'When I first started this cause to help those in need, I was on
my own but I saw first-hand the shortages in available resources and
supplies for people who were suffering in Lebanon, Syria, and Turkey as a
result of the violence.
'The
amount of feedback and support from people all around the world
motivated me to get organised and develop a platform through which
people could send donations to support the continuation of my work.'
During
an interview with CNN in 2012, Mr Kassig said he set up the SERA aid
group because he was 'an idealist' and 'believed in hopeless causes'.
He
said: 'There is this impression, this belief that there is no hope.
That's when it's more important than ever that we come in against all
odds and we do something.
'We
each get one life and that's it. We get one shot at this and we don't
get any do-overs, and for me, it was time to put up or shut up,.
'The
way I saw it, I didn't have a choice. This is what I was put here to
do. I guess I am just a hopeless romantic, and I am an idealist, and I
believe in hopeless causes.
'This
is real, and it's scary stuff, and it's sad what is happening to people
here. People back home need to know about it, they need to know.
Sometimes you gotta take a stand, you gotta draw a line somewhere.'
ISIS THREATENS PETER KASSIG IN FOOTAGE OF ALAN HENNING BEHEADING
Alan
Henning: 'I am Alan Henning. Because of our parliament's decision to
attack the Islamic state I as a member of the British public will now
pay the price for that decision.'
Jihadi
John: 'The blood of David Haines was on your hands Cameron, Alan
Henning will also be slaughtered but his blood is on the hands of the
British parliament.'
Jihadi John then steps forward to cut Mr Henning's throat and his body is shown lying on the floor.
Peter Kassig is then shown kneeling next to Jihadi John.
Jihadi
John: 'Obama you have started your aerial bombardment in Sham (Syria)
which keeps on striking our people, so it's only right we continue to
strike the necks of your people.'
Mr
Kassig has also previously told how he travelled around the region
helping hundreds of Syrians who had been displaced by the conflict.
One of the sacrifices he made was offering his services to a trauma unit which treated severely injured Syrian refugees.
At
the time, he added: 'This work is important for the message that it
sends to people back home, that one of the best aspects of the American
way of life is our ability to come together in the face of adversity and
to stand beside those who might need a helping hand.
'In
five years, if I can look back on all of this and say that our
organisation is able to truly help people, that I was able so share a
little bit of hope and that I never stopped learning then I will know
this all stood for something.'
In
a statement issued this evening, National Security Council spokeswoman
Caitlin Hayden said every effort would be made to bring Mr Kassig home.
She said: 'At this point we have no reason to doubt the authenticity of the video released earlier today.
'We
will continue to use every tool at our disposal - military, diplomatic,
law enforcement and intelligence - to try to bring Peter home to his
family.'
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