In other cases, where money isn’t forthcoming, the Islamic militant group has publicized its barbaric killings of the hostages, apparently in an effort to score propaganda points with its extremist followers.
The number of foreign captives killed by ISIS is dwarfed by the masses of Iraqis and Syrians slaughtered under the militants’ murderous rule over parts of the region.
But the fates of some of ISIS’ most high-profile hostages, outlined below, have brought home to the West the brutality of the militant group.
James Foley
The first American hostage whose execution ISIS publicized, James Foley was a freelance journalist from Rochester, New Hampshire, who was abducted during a reporting trip in northern Syria in November 2012. He had a “bold commitment to bearing witness of the suffering in conflict zones,” according to his family. Foley had previously been held captive in Libya by forces loyal to the former dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
ISIS at one point demanded a ransom of 100 million euros ($113 million, at current exchange rates) for Foley’s release, according to GlobalPost, one of the news organizations for which he worked.
U.S. special forces failed to find Foley, 40, and other American hostages during an attempted rescue operation in July.
A video of his beheading was posted online on August 19.
n his last letter, conveyed to his family by a former fellow hostage who memorized it just before his release, Foley talked about memories, like a long bike ride with his mom, that took him “away from this prison.”
And he underscored how prayer had helped him during his ordeal: “I feel you all especially when I pray. I pray for you to stay strong and to believe. I really feel I can touch you even in this darkness when I pray.”
–
She was kidnapped in August 2013 after leaving a Doctors Without Borders hospital in the city of Aleppo, her family said. They heard nothing from her captors until 10 months later, when ISIS got in touch with a ransom demand of nearly $7 million. Her parents said the militants told them they would treat her as their guest.
But on February 6, ISIS claimed Mueller had been killed in a building that was hit during a Jordanian airstrike on Raqqa. Her parents initially held out hope that she might still be alive, but they announced Tuesday that they had received confirmation she had lost her life.
“Kayla was a compassionate and devoted humanitarian,” the family said. “She dedicated the whole of her young life to helping those in need of freedom, justice and peace.”
John Cantlie
A British photojournalist who has also written articles for newspapers, John Cantlie was captured in northern Syria at the same time as James Foley. His LinkedIn profile says he has 20 years of experience and specializes in working in hostile environments, including Afghanistan, Somalia and Libya.
“I love stories of ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances,” he wrote in an online portfolio describing his work. He was previously abducted in Syria with a Dutch journalist in July 2012. Both were shot when they tried to escape through a hole in their tent. Several days later, they were rescued by Free Syrian Army rebels.
ISIS appears to have used Cantlie differently to its other Western hostages, making him perform as a journalist telling ISIS’ side of the story.
“You’re thinking, ‘He’s only doing this because he’s a prisoner. He’s got a gun at his head, and he’s being forced to do this.’ Right? Well, it’s true. I am a prisoner. That I cannot deny,” Cantlie said in the first video in September 2014. “But seeing as I’ve been abandoned by my government and my fate now lies in the hands of the Islamic State, I have nothing to lose.”
Cantlie’s most recent appearance in ISIS propaganda came in a video released this week in which he acts as though he’s reporting on the situation in Aleppo. He says, though, that this is the “last in this series.”
CNN’s Steve Almasy contributed to this report.
