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Islamic State hostage found ‘calling’ in Mideast

JENI O’MALLEY
Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The mother of an Indiana aid worker held hostage by the Islamic State group has taken to Twitter in hopes of communicating with the captors who have threatened to behead him.

The plea Tuesday from Paula Kassig (KAS’-ihg) urges the militants to discuss his fate with his parents.

Her son, Abdul-Rahman (AHB’-duhl RAHK’-muhn) Kassig, was captured in October 2013 while delivering aid to Syria. Militants threatened to behead him in an Oct. 3 video.

The 26-year-old Indianapolis native moved to the Middle East in 2012, after observing conditions during a trip to Beirut. He sent an email to relatives and teachers during that trip, saying he couldn’t walk away from the suffering he’d seen.

He converted to Islam during his captivity and changed his name from Peter.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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