ISIS Claims Credit For Killing William Henderson, American Oil Worker

ISIS-linked group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis has claimed responsibility for the killing of William Henderson. The American oil worker is a Texas native. Henderson’s passport and work ID badge were posted on the official ISIS Web Forum on Sunday.

William Henderson, 58, worked for Apache Corporation out of Houston for 28 years. Henderson’s August 6 death has previously been deemed the result of a carjacking. The obituary of the American oil worker killed by ISIS group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis said, “William Henderson passed away suddenly while working in Karama, Egypt.”

Ansar Beit al-Maqdis recently pledged its allegiance to ISIS and the Islamic State. The militant group reportedly emerged in Egypt after the spring 2011 uprisings in the country. Ansar Beit al-Maqdis currently refers to itself as the Islamic Sate of Sinai. In 2012, the group claimed responsibility for a rocket attack in Eilat – an Israeli seaside town. The group also claimed responsibility for an attack on a border patrol team in Israel one month later. The attack killed one Israeli soldier and wounded another.

A statement about the ISIS linked Ansar Beit al-Maqdis killing released earlier today by the Apache Corporation said, “The tragic carjacking incident this past August involving our colleague Bill Henderson is still under investigation by the U.S. government. Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Henderson family.”

Savannah Blankenship, William Henderson’s daughter, said her entire family was “very taken by surprise” to wake up this morning to find out on the news that the ISIS group was responsible for killing her father.

“It’s just a little overwhelming,” Blankenship said.

he daughter also added that the Henderson family had found it “difficult” to get information about her the American oil worker’s death. The U.S. government only reportedly told relatives that Bill Henderson had been murdered, after the August incident in Egypt.

“He was very passionate about his family and his work. We’re still in shock,” Savannah Blankenship told NBC News.

While the oil worker understood the risks of working in the Middle East, he reportedly felt “fairly safe” while doing his job in Egypt.

“Bill had a love for fishing, Harley Davidson Motorcycles, show pigs, and most of all his family and beloved grandchildren,” Henderson’s obituary also said.

Earlier this year the ISIS-linked group claimed responsibility for downing a military helicopter that killed five soldiers and grenade attacks in Cairo. In February, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis bombed a Sinai Peninsula tour bus.

What do you think about the ISIS William Henderson murder claims?

[Image via: NBC News]