person journey
Peter Kassig: The Ranger Who Came Back to Help and Was Killed for It
Confirmed2 chapters
Peter Kassig served in the U.S. military, converted to Islam, and dedicated himself to humanitarian work in Syria. He was captured by ISIS while delivering aid and held for over a year before being executed in November 2014. His story is one of the clearest indictments of ISIS's targeting of those who came to help.
01
Chapter 01custom01 / 02
Army Ranger, Humanitarian Convert: From Indiana to the Syrian Border
Peter Kassig was born on February 19, 1988, in Indianapolis, Indiana. He enlisted in the U.S. Army and served as a Ranger — an elite light infantry unit — deploying to Iraq in 2007. He was medically discharged after his Iraq deployment.
After returning to civilian life, Kassig enrolled at Butler University in Indianapolis but felt drawn back toward service. In 2011, he traveled to Lebanon and worked as an emergency medical technician at a refugee clinic in Beirut. As the Syrian conflict exploded and refugees flooded into Lebanon, his work brought him into direct contact with the human cost of the war.
He converted to Islam in 2012, taking the name Abdul-Rahman. He later told his family it was a genuine spiritual conversion, not a tactical choice.
He founded SERA — Special Emergency Response and Assistance — a small NGO providing medical care and supplies to Syrian refugees and to communities inside Syria. He made multiple trips into Syria to deliver aid, operating in dangerous areas.
In October 2013, while traveling near Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria to deliver medical supplies, Kassig was captured by ISIS. He was 25 years old.
After returning to civilian life, Kassig enrolled at Butler University in Indianapolis but felt drawn back toward service. In 2011, he traveled to Lebanon and worked as an emergency medical technician at a refugee clinic in Beirut. As the Syrian conflict exploded and refugees flooded into Lebanon, his work brought him into direct contact with the human cost of the war.
He converted to Islam in 2012, taking the name Abdul-Rahman. He later told his family it was a genuine spiritual conversion, not a tactical choice.
He founded SERA — Special Emergency Response and Assistance — a small NGO providing medical care and supplies to Syrian refugees and to communities inside Syria. He made multiple trips into Syria to deliver aid, operating in dangerous areas.
In October 2013, while traveling near Deir ez-Zor in eastern Syria to deliver medical supplies, Kassig was captured by ISIS. He was 25 years old.
Confirmed(85%)Sensitivity: medium
02
Chapter 02custom02 / 02
More Than a Year in Captivity: Execution, November 16, 2014
Peter Kassig was held by ISIS for over a year. During that time, he wrote letters to his family that were later published. They showed a man who had not abandoned his faith, his compassion, or his humanity. He wrote: 'I am obviously pretty scared to die but the hardest part is not knowing, wondering, hoping, and wondering if I should even hope at all.'
Other Western hostages held alongside Kassig have described his composure and his care for fellow prisoners. He reportedly helped comfort other captives and maintained his Islamic practice while in captivity.
He was held alongside James Foley, Steven Sotloff, and other Western captives — all of whom ISIS would execute. Foley was killed in August 2014, Sotloff in September 2014. Kassig was next.
**November 16, 2014 — Execution**
ISIS released a video on November 16, 2014, titled 'Although the Disbelievers Dislike It.' Unlike previous execution videos that showed the hostage alive before death, the video showed only the severed head of Peter Kassig, held by a masked executioner identified as 'Jihadi John' (Mohammad Emwazi). The video also showed what appeared to be mass executions of Syrian soldiers.
ISIS released a statement mocking Kassig's conversion: 'We bury the first American crusader in Dabiq, eagerly waiting for the remainder of your armies to arrive.'
His parents, Ed and Paula Kassig, issued a statement: 'We are heartbroken to learn that our son has been killed. We are so proud of the man he was and the work he was doing in Syria.'
Peter Kassig / Abdul-Rahman Kassig was 26 years old. He had gone to Syria to help its people. He was executed by an organization that had taken over the territory he had tried to serve.
Other Western hostages held alongside Kassig have described his composure and his care for fellow prisoners. He reportedly helped comfort other captives and maintained his Islamic practice while in captivity.
He was held alongside James Foley, Steven Sotloff, and other Western captives — all of whom ISIS would execute. Foley was killed in August 2014, Sotloff in September 2014. Kassig was next.
**November 16, 2014 — Execution**
ISIS released a video on November 16, 2014, titled 'Although the Disbelievers Dislike It.' Unlike previous execution videos that showed the hostage alive before death, the video showed only the severed head of Peter Kassig, held by a masked executioner identified as 'Jihadi John' (Mohammad Emwazi). The video also showed what appeared to be mass executions of Syrian soldiers.
ISIS released a statement mocking Kassig's conversion: 'We bury the first American crusader in Dabiq, eagerly waiting for the remainder of your armies to arrive.'
His parents, Ed and Paula Kassig, issued a statement: 'We are heartbroken to learn that our son has been killed. We are so proud of the man he was and the work he was doing in Syria.'
Peter Kassig / Abdul-Rahman Kassig was 26 years old. He had gone to Syria to help its people. He was executed by an organization that had taken over the territory he had tried to serve.
Confirmed(85%)Sensitivity: medium
Continue the Journey
Explore other journeys in this documentary archive
All Journeys