Lieutenant Muath al-Kaseasbeh: The Jordanian pilot who fought Isis 'for distorting the true spirit of Islam'
He was the first pilot from the US-led coalition to be captured
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.26-year-old Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh fell into the hands of Isis militants in December 2014, when his Jordanian F-16 plane crashed near Raqqa, Syria: the de facto capital of the group's self-styled caliphate.
He was the first pilot from the US-led coalition to be captured.
The pro-Isis Raqqa Media Centre (RMC) posted pictures of the pilot surrounded by more than a dozen militants, some masked, shortly after he was captured.
It also released images of the militants posing with pieces of wreckage.
A friend said Al-Kasaesbeh, who comes from a prominent Jordanian family, was strongly committed to his mission and felt it was his religious duty to fight extremist groups that were "distorting the true spirit of Islam".
An ID card shown by the pro-Isis Raqqa Media Centre (RMC) said Muath Safi Yousef al-Kaseasbeh was born on May 29, 1988.
The Jordanian army confirmed his death on 3 February 2015 following the release of an Isis video purporting to show his murder, and said they believed he had died on 3 January 2015.
He was married to Anwar al-Tarawneh.