victim

Peter Kassig

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Peter Kassig: The Ranger Who Came Back to Help and Was Killed for It

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.

Biography

Peter Kassig, who had converted to Islam and taken the name Abdul-Rahman, was an American humanitarian aid worker and former U.S. Army Ranger who founded SERA (Special Emergency Response and Assistance) to provide medical care to Syrian refugees and conflict victims. He was captured by ISIS in October 2013 while delivering aid near Deir ez-Zor. After more than a year in captivity, he was beheaded by ISIS on November 16, 2014 — the fourth Western hostage killed by the organization. Unlike James Foley and Steven Sotloff, Kassig was not shown alive in his final execution video; ISIS showed only his severed head. His parents confirmed his death in November 2014. His case drew international attention to the plight of humanitarian workers in Syria and to the savagery of ISIS's hostage-killing campaign.

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Key Facts

Born:1988-02-19

Place:Indianapolis, Indiana, USA

Died:2014-11-16

Nationality:American