Ed and Paula Kassig, parents of Peter Kassig, speak during a news conference Monday, Nov. 17, 2014, in Indianapolis. Peter Kassig was captured Oct. 1, 2013, while delivering aid in Syria through a relief organization he founded. The White House confirmed Peter Kassig's death Sunday, Nov. 16 after the Islamic State group released a video showing that Kassig had been beheaded. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
November 17, 2014 - 1:30 PM
INDIANAPOLIS - The parents of an Indiana aid worker who was beheaded by Islamic State militants say their son "experienced firsthand more of the harsh realities of life" than most people can imagine but chose to believe in the good.
Ed and Paula Kassig of Indianapolis read a brief statement Monday, the day after the U.S. confirmed that their 26-year-old son had been killed.
Peter Kassig was captured Oct. 1, 2013, while delivering aid in Syria through a relief organization he founded. The former U.S. Army Ranger converted to Islam during captivity and changed his first name to Abdul-Rahman.
The White House confirmed Kassig's death Sunday after the Islamic State group released a video showing that Kassig had been beheaded.
The Islamic State group has now killed five Westerners it was holding.
News from © The Associated Press, 2014