Daniel’s fellow prisoner John Cantlie, the British war correspondent who was captured with James Foley, is probably still in captivity. He has appeared in a number of ISIS videos, first in a six-episode series entitled Lend Me Your Ears and later, as an Islamic State ‘reporter’ who has filmed in Kobanî, Mosul, Al-Bab and Aleppo under the guard of his kidnappers. In one of the videos he interviews a man identified by some as Abu Mohammed, his former French prison guard from the children’s hospital in Aleppo.
In November 2015 Cantlie appeared in a byline in the IS magazine Dabiq. The piece, entitled ‘Shift: Paradigm Part II’, which may or may not have been written by Cantlie, discusses the caliphate and its currency. And in March 2016 he appeared in a video posted online by ISIS in which he is shown presenting a news report from Mosul that derides US attempts to deal with the extremist organization.
In the summer of 2015 President Barack Obama announced that the White House would not prosecute families of American hostages who negotiated private ransoms with terrorist organizations. If that had been the situation while James Foley was alive, the family would have been able to try to collect the ransom money and potentially save his life without the risk of prosecution.
Otherwise, Denmark, the United States and the United Kingdom maintain their policy of not paying ransoms for citizens who are held by terrorist groups such as IS.
Foreigners Held Captive by ISIS
The following list refers to prisoners mentioned in this book. The stated profession indicates what the person in question was doing in Syria when the kidnapping took place. The dates are in some instances approximate and as accurate as can be, due to the nature of the hostage situation.
Daniel Rye, photographer, Denmark
Kidnapped 17 May 2013; released 19 June 2014
Didier François, journalist, France
Kidnapped 6 June 2013; released 19 April 2014
Edouard Elias, photographer, France
Kidnapped 6 June 2013; released 19 April 2014
James Foley, journalist, United States
Kidnapped 22 November 2012; killed 19 August 2014
John Cantlie, journalist, United Kingdom
Kidnapped 22 November 2012; still in captivity
Nicolas Hénin, journalist, France
Kidnapped 22 June 2013; released 19 April 2014
Pierre Torres, journalist, France
Kidnapped 22 June 2013; released 19 April 2014
David Haines, aid worker, United Kingdom
Kidnapped 12 March 2013; killed 13 September 2014
Federico Motka, aid worker, Italy
Kidnapped 12 March 2013; released 26 May 2014
Steven Sotloff, journalist, United States
Kidnapped 4 August 2013; killed 31 August 2014
Javier Espinosa, journalist, Spain
Kidnapped 16 September 2013; released 30 March 2014
Marc Marginedas, journalist, Spain
Kidnapped 4 September 2013; released 25 February 2014
Peter Kassig, aid worker, United States
Kidnapped 1 October 2013; killed 16 November 2014
Ricardo Vilanova, photographer, Spain
Kidnapped 16 September 2013; released 30 March 2014
Toni Neukirch, aid worker, Germany
Kidnapping date unknown; released 19 June 2014
Alan Henning, aid worker, United Kingdom
Kidnapped 26 December 2013; killed 3 October 2014
Sergey Gorbunov, unknown, Russia
Kidnapping date unknown; killed March 2014
Kayla Mueller, aid worker, United States
Kidnapped 4 August 2013; killed 6 February 2015
Dan, Médecins Sans Frontières, Denmark, and an unnamed colleague, Belgium
Kidnapped 2 January 2014; released 14 May 2014
Three unnamed women, Médecins Sans Frontières
Kidnapped 2 January 2014; released 4 April 2014
An unnamed woman
Name and nationality may not be published; her whereabouts are unknown as of March 2016.
About the Book
I have attempted to write this story as accurately as possible from the recollections of the sources, keeping in mind that people perceive and remember events differently. Moreover, as much as possible I have verified information and experiences with other sources who were present.
In hostage cases it is well known that the Danish authorities remain extremely secretive. During the process of working on this book it has become clear how unusually reticent different authorities have been in terms of giving information or confirming or denying facts provided by other sources.
The authorities want as little information as possible to come out about Daniel Rye’s kidnapping. One reason is to prevent damaging the chance of solving any future hostage cases. Another reason is so that nothing is revealed to potential kidnappers about what position the Danish government will take in hostage situations. They should only know that the state doesn’t pay ransoms, in the hope of thereby avoiding further kidnappings of Danish nationals. That is why private security companies, paid by the families involved, take charge of the negotiations.
However, it is also a fact that groups like IS take hostages not only to get an economic benefit, but for ideological and political reasons as well. The security of Danish nationals has deteriorated in many countries, particularly since Denmark has joined the international coalition against IS in Iraq, regardless of Denmark’s position on not negotiating with kidnappers.
In the final analysis, Daniel’s ransom was only slightly cheaper than some of his fellow hostages, whose governments were responsible for the ransom sum and the negotiations. France, for example, paid €2.5 million (£1.9 million) per French hostage.
· * ·
Signe, Daniel’s former girlfriend, didn’t want to participate in interviews or fact-checking. Therefore, in the few places where she is mentioned, the information is based solely on what Daniel and his family remember and have told me.
Dan, the Danish Médecins Sans Frontières worker, did not want his last name to be revealed.
Finally, I want to express my warmest thanks to my editors at Politikens Forlag, Tonie Yde Højrup and Kim Hundevadt, for their Herculean labour, their sharp eyes and their indispensable input along the way.
© Miriam Dalsgaard
Daniel Rye, October 2015
THE ISIS HOSTAGE
Puk Damsgård has been the Middle East correspondent for the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) since 2011, having previously lived for several years in Afghanistan and Pakistan. As a journalist and writer she has received a number of awards, including Denmark’s prestigious Cavling Prize for this book and her work across the Middle East. The ISIS Hostage is Damsgård’s second bestseller about the region.
First published in Denmark 2015 by Politikens Forlag, JP/ Politikens Hus A/S with the title: Ser du månen, Daniel.
First published in Great Britain in 2016 by Atlantic Books, an imprint of Atlantic Books Ltd.
The English translation of this book was funded by Jens og Helle Kruuses Mindelegat granted by JP Fonden.
Copyright © Politikens Forlag, JP/Politikens Hus A/S, 2015
English Translation © David Young 2016
The moral right of Puk Damsgård to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.