A 26-year-old aid worker who was kidnapped from Syria last year has been confirmed as the third hostage held captive by the Islamic State (aka ISIS).
The terror-group has demanded a $6.6million ransom for the woman, as well as the release of imprisoned neuroscientist Aafia Siddiqui, ABC News reports.
The hostage’s family has asked for her name not to be released. She is the third of at least four hostages held by ISIS, including executed photojournalist James Foley.
The hsotage’s name has not been released, at the request of her family. The group has also threatened to execute American journalist Steven Sotloff (pictured)
News of the ransom comes just a week after the group beheaded Foley in a savage propaganda video posted online.
At the end of the video, the group threatened to kill another hostage, journalist Steven Sotloff, next.
The ransom was revealed Monday, at a press conference held on behalf of Siddiqui’s family, who are trying to distance themselves from ISIS.
It was also confirmed through a close friend of the unidentified hostage’s family.
The group previously asked for the released of Siddiqui when they sent Foley’s family a $132million ransom request before his execution.
Siddiqui, an MIT-trained neuroscientist, was convicted in 2010 of trying to kill U.S. officials. Authorities believe she may have also been planning to construction dirty bombs to be used in terrorist attacks.
Her family has released a statement saying they have no connections to ISIS and that ‘associating Aafia’s name with acts of violence is against everything we are struggling for’.
‘While we deeply appreciate the sincere feelings of those who, like us, wish to see the freedom of our beloved Aafia, we cannot agree with a “by any means necessary” approach to Aafia’s freedom.
‘Nor can we accept that someone else’s daughter or sister suffer like Aafia is suffering,’ the letter says.
Foley’s ransom was not paid because the U.S. and Britain do not negotiate with terrorists
ISIS has taken hostage several other Western Europeans, some of which were able to secure release when their respective countries paid the ransoms.
Collecting ransoms is the main way terrorist organizations fund their activities, and a New York Times report revealed that Al Qaeda (which has distanced themselves from ISIS) collected an estimated $125million in ransoms from European governments in the last five years.