Peter Kassig

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Islamic State 'Beatle' Guilty in Deaths of Americans

El Shafee Elsheikh, convicted on all counts, faces life in prison

(Newser) - A jury convicted a British national Thursday for his role in an Islamic State group hostage-taking scheme that took roughly two dozen Westerners captive a decade ago, resulting in the deaths of four Americans, three of whom were beheaded. The jury deliberated for four hours before finding El Shafee Elsheikh...

ISIS Captive's Letter to Dad Leaves Courtroom in 'Tears'

Peter Kassig, killed in 2014, wrote that his last thought would be of the love of his parents

(Newser) - If Peter Kassig was true to his word, the only thought running through his mind as he was beheaded by Islamic State terrorists was how much his parents loved him. Ed Kassig, the father of the US aid worker who was taken hostage in Syria in 2013 and killed a...

In Case of the ISIS 'Beatles,' a Milestone

El Shafee Elsheikh, Alexanda Kotey are indicted, accused of beheadings, torture of Westerners

(Newser) - The Justice Department unsealed charges Wednesday against two Islamic State militants from Britain, accusing them of carrying out a gruesome campaign of torture, beheadings, and other acts of violence against Western hostages they'd captured in Syria, including four Americans. El Shafee Elsheikh and Alexanda Kotey are two of four...

FBI Testing Possible Remains of ISIS Hostages

Captured 'Beatles' provided info on burial sites

(Newser) - The families of American hostages murdered by ISIS in Syria may finally be able to lay their loved ones to rest. Officials and relatives tells ABC News that human remains in areas of Syria liberated from the group are being tested by the FBI Laboratory in Quantico, Va., though it...

Captured ISIS Fighters Might Know Where Mueller's Body Is

They're said to be pointing out grave sites

(Newser) - The capture of two ISIS fighters who may know the whereabouts of Kayla Mueller's body has raised hope that her parents might finally be able to put their daughter to rest. ISIS said the aid worker kidnapped in Syria in 2013 was killed in 2015 when a Jordanian airstrike...

Families of Slain Hostages to Obama: Save Austin Tice

US journalist is being held captive in Syria

(Newser) - American journalist Austin Tice—believed to be the only US reporter held hostage anywhere in the world—was captured in Syria in August 2012. Since then, US hostages James Foley , Peter Kassig , Kayla Mueller , and Steven Sotloff have been killed, and their families fear Tice's parents will soon have...

How an Arrest Ended Secret Talks to Save Peter Kassig

Stanley Cohen feels betrayed after covert operation fell through

(Newser) - For weeks before Islamic State militants released a video showing the beheading of Peter Kassig , FBI officials backed a plan to save the US aid worker. In an exclusive, the Guardian reveals New York lawyer Stanley Cohen—who has represented Osama bin Laden's son-in-law —convinced al-Qaeda-linked clerics Abu...

Newest ISIS Death Video Has Major Differences

Kassig's parents heartbroken but 'incredibly proud'

(Newser) - ISIS has beheaded another hostage , but while the outcome is grimly familiar, analysts say the video revealing the death of Peter Kassig has differences that hint at serious problems for the militant group. Unlike four earlier videos showing the execution of Western hostages, the quality is poor, Kassig is not...

White House Confirms ISIS Video of Dead American

Peter Kassig was taken in 'act of pure evil,' Obama says

(Newser) - ISIS released a graphic video today in which a black-clad militant claims to have beheaded US aid worker Peter Kassig, and the White House confirms that it's really him. Kassig "was a humanitarian who worked to save the lives of Syrians injured and dispossessed," says President Obama,...

US Hostage's Mom Tries to Reach ISIS via Twitter

'How can we reach you?' mother of Abdul-Rahman Kassig asks militants

(Newser) - Abdul-Rahman Kassig's family has already released a letter from him in which he said he was "scared to die" and posted a series of YouTube videos begging for his freedom from his ISIS captors. Now mom Paula Kassig has taken to Twitter to directly address "Caliph Abu...

Parents Release Letter From US ISIS Hostage

'Hardest part is not knowing,' writes the former Peter Kassig

(Newser) - An American ISIS hostage says he's "scared to die, but the hardest part is not knowing, wondering, hoping, and wondering if I should even hope at all." The words come from a letter Abdul-Rahman Kassig, formerly known as Peter Kassig, wrote to his parents; they received the...

American Held by ISIS Is Former Army Ranger Turned Volunteer

Peter Kassig founded relief organization; parents ask for his release in video

(Newser) - In its latest execution video, ISIS threatened that its next victim would be an American aid worker named Peter Kassig. The 26-year-old is a former Army Ranger from Indiana who served in Iraq in 2007 before being honorably discharged for medical reasons, reports CNN . He enrolled at Butler University upon...

ISIS Beheads British Hostage, Threatens American

Alan Henning is the latest victim; US citizen Peter Kassig may be next

(Newser) - ISIS today released another video showing the beheading of a hostage, this time British citizen Alan Henning, reports AP . The video follows the same pattern as the previous three, in which an Islamic State fighter rants against the West. At the end of the video, the militant threatens an American...

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