A black-masked executioner belonging to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant appears to murder an American aid worker in a video that surfaced on Sunday, despite pleas for his release by Muslim scholars and a leader of another Syrian jihadi group.
A man appearing to be Peter Kassig, a 26-year-old aid worker and former US soldier, is shown on the video kneeling in an orange jumpsuit as a black-clad warrior for the group, also known as Isis, stood beside him. Minutes later, a severed head described as Mr Kassig’s is shown resting on the ground in an area described as northern Syria.
US officials verified the authenticity of the video, making Mr Kassig the fifth western hostage executed by Isis.