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| Peter Kassig had founded his own relief group, delivering medical aid in conflict zones |
A senior al-Qaeda jihadist has spoken out in defence of a Western hostage slated as the next to be beheaded by the rival extremists Isil in Syria.
Abdul-Rahman Kassig, the American Muslim convert and aid worker formerly known as Peter, has been named by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant as the next victim in their series of videoed murders of British and American captives.
Isil members warned on Twitter that Mr Kassig was to be killed on Wednesday, as a "deadline" passed for meeting their demands – that America call off its bombing campaign.
But the Isil threat to Mr Kassig has caused dissent from within the ranks of the jihadists' own community, with a number of Islamists speaking out in support of him, particularly because of his conversion.
Abu Omar Aqidi, a prominent member of al-Qaeda faction Jabhat al-Nusra, said in a public statement that he had been told Mr Kassig was the medic who treated him and other fellow jihadists. » | Ruth Sherlock in Istanbul and Richard Spencer | Wednesday, October 22, 2014
