Islamic State Murder of Kassig- Parents Pay tribute to their Beheaded Son
Islamic State Kassig murder: Parents pay tribute to son
The parents of a US medic beheaded by Islamic State (IS) militants have paid tribute to their son, saying they will learn in time to forgive his captors.
"Our hearts are battered, but they will mend. The world is broken, but it will be healed," said Ed and Paula Kassig, parents of Abdul-Rahman Kassig.
Mr Kassig, 26, is the fifth Western hostage to be killed by IS.
Western intelligence officials are working to identify militants seen in a video showing his beheading.
A French prosecutor said one militant was Maxime Hauchard, 22, and another Frenchman might have been present. A third militant was reported to be a Briton.
"Our beloved son... no longer walks this earth," Ed Kassig told reporters on Monday. "Our hearts, though heavy, are held up by the love and support that has poured into our lives these last few days."
The couple asked for prayers for their son on Monday, as well as for those held against their will in Iraq, Syria and around the world.
An undated family photo from Kassig's youth
Kassig with his father, fishing on the Ohio River in Indiana in 2011
"Lastly, please allow our family the time and privacy to mourn, cry, and yes, forgive, and begin to heal," Mr Kassig added.
The IS video released on Sunday shows a masked man standing over a severed head, which the White House later confirmed was Kassig's.
He was captured by IS, which controls large parts of Syria and Iraq, in October 2013 while travelling to Deir Ezzour in eastern Syria.
Analysis: Frank Gardner, BBC security correspondent
The 16-minute video posted online by IS, while graphically sadistic, also reveals a wealth of detail about the perpetrators and their whereabouts. This is deliberate. IS is effectively taunting the Western-led coalition that is arranged against it, saying this is who we are, come and get us if you dare.
Intelligence agencies will be using facial recognition software to identify those involved in the mass beheading, matching their real names and origins to their adopted battle names. IS has even put a place name on the video, Dabiq in northern Syria - a place where according to Islamic hadith, an apocalyptic battle will be fought between Muslims and non-Muslims.
The one person who keeps his identity concealed is the suspected British jihadist known in the UK media as "Jihadi John". He is believed to be from London and both the FBI and MI5 almost certainly know who he is but for reasons known to them, they are not revealing it.
BBC
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