The White House has confirmed yesterday that an American Islamic State (Isis) hostage, 26-year-old aid worker Kayla Jean Mueller, has died.
“It is with profound sadness that we have learned of the death of Kayla Jean Mueller,” Obama said in a statement. “I convey our deepest condolences.”
Several Isis-linked Twitter accounts have claimed that the American aid worker was killed in the bombing raid on the Syrian city of Raqqa early in Friday.
“Isis is a hateful and abhorrent terrorist group whose actions stand in stark contrast to the spirit of people like Kayla,” reads the statement.
The Mueller family also released a statement confirming the death of their daughter.
“We are heartbroken to share that we’ve received confirmation that Kayla Jean Mueller has lost her life,” her parents and brother said on Tuesday.
The statement from Mueller’s family did not elaborate on how it had learned of Mueller’s death or the circumstances behind it.
Mueller – who had worked as a humanitarian aid worker – was captured in Syria in August 2013. Last week, ISIS claimed she had been killed in a Jordanian airstrike in Syria. At the time, US officials said they could not confirm ISIS’ claims.