ISIS Demands $6.6 Million Ransom For American Woman
ISIS is demanding $6.6 million in ransom to stop the threatened execution of a 26-year-old American woman. The family of the hostage has asked the media to withhold her name, but note that the woman was involved with humanitarian relief in Syria when she went missing in 2013.
The demand from Islamic State militants comes just one week after a video of the beheading of American journalist James Foley was posted online. In addition to the $6.6 million ransom for the American woman, ISIS is demand the release of Aafia Siddiqui – a MIT-trained neuroscientist was convicted on attempted murder and assault charges of United States officers and employees in Afghanistan in 2010. The Islamic State militants (also known as ISIL) will execute the 26-year-old American women if both demands are not met. Aafia Siddiqui was sentenced to 86 years in prison after her 14-day jury trial.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara had this to say after the verdict in Siddiqui’s case was read:
“As a unanimous jury found beyond a reasonable doubt, Aafia Siddiqui attempted to murder Americans serving in Afghanistan, as well as their Afghan colleagues. She now faces the stiff consequences of her violent actions. We commend the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force and other law enforcement and military personnel for their tremendous work investigating this case here and abroad.”
The Peace and Justice Foundation maintains the Siddiqui family was “horrified” by the release request by ISIS and reportedly does not want to be associated with Islamic State militants.
Foundation representative Mauri Saalakhan had this to say when explaining how the family feels about the prisoner release demand by ISIS:
“They made it very clear, this is not the way, these are not the conditions under which we want our loved ones released. Nor did they want harm to come to anyone else’s loved one in the name of Aafia. They conveyed that message loud and clear.”
According to an ABC News report, all of the three known American hostages have been threatened with execution since the James Foley beheading. As previously reported by The Inquisitr, ISIS supporters took to Twitter to showcase images of hostage Steven Sotloff – noting that his life was in President Barack Obama’s hands. The tweets by supporters of Islamic State militants also demanded the immediate halt to U.S. airstrikes on ISIS targets in Iraq.
Do you think President Obama will trade the Afghan prisoner for the American humanitarian woman as he did five Taliban detainees for Bowe Bergdahl?
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