A U.S. official has confirmed that Peter Kassig was beheaded by Islamic State Terrorists. The video did not show the actual beheading of Kassig as it did with past beheadings, but the White House released a statement confirming that the victim was indeed the U.S. aid worker who had been abducted last year.
"Today we offer our prayers and condolences to the parents and family of Abdul-Rahman Kassig, also known to us as Peter," the White House said in a statement. "We cannot begin to imagine their anguish at this painful time."
"Abdul-Rahman was taken from us in an act of pure evil by a terrorist group that the world rightly associates with inhumanity," the statement continues. "Like Jim Foley and Steven Sotloff before him, his life and deeds stand in stark contrast to everything that ISIL represents."
Kassig's parents have asked for restraint following the beheading. The family has also requested that the beheading video is not shown as that would play into the terrorists' agenda.
Kassig's parents, Ed and Paula Kassig, released a statement on the Facebook page Mercy for Abdul-Rahman Kassig - formerly known as Peter:
"We are heartbroken to learn that our son, Abdul-Rahman Peter Kassig, has lost his life as a result of his love for the Syrian people and his desire to ease their suffering. Our heart also goes out to the families of the Syrians who lost their lives, along with our son.
"Fed by a strong desire to use his life to save the lives of others, Abdul-Rahman was drawn to the camps that are filled with displaced families and to understaffed hospitals inside Syria. We know he found his home amongst the Syrian people, and he hurt when they were hurting.
"As he wrote in March 2012, in a letter announcing he was taking a leave of absence from Butler University to serve the Syrian people:
'Here, in this land, I have found my calling. ... I do not know much. Every day that I am here I have more questions and less answers, but what I do know is that I have a chance to do something here, to take a stand. To make a difference.'
"We are incredibly proud of our son for living his life according to his humanitarian calling. We will work every day to keep his legacy alive as best we can.
"We remain heartbroken, also, for the families of the other captives who did not make it home safely. The families of James Foley, Steven Sotloff, David Haines, and Alan Henning remain in our daily thoughts and prayers, and we pray for the safe return of all remaining captives held by all sides of the Syrian civil war.
"We remain eternally grateful for the many, many words of support and prayers from all over the world on our son's behalf. We ask people to continue to pray for the safe return of all captives being held unjustly and all people being oppressed around the world, and especially for the people of Syria, a land our son loved."
Instead of flowers, the family has requested that any contributions be made to the Syrian American Medical Society:
SAMS Foundation
3660 Stutz Dr. Suite 100
Canfield, Ohio 44406
www.sams-usa.net