The American captives shown in Islamic State (ISIS) videos just prior to their executions appear "calm" because they are unaware they are about to be murdered, said a released French hostage, the
Daily Mail reported.
French journalist Didier Francois, 53, who works for Paris radio station Europe 1, was held for 10 months by ISIS in Syria before he was released in April, according to the
BBC.
Another French hostage, Nicholas Henin, said in an interview with France24 that "The conditions were not always hard. The physical violence is not the worst,"
The Independent reported. "The uncertainty of not knowing what is going to happen the next day or the next minute is traumatizing."
Henin, who also was held for 10 months in Syria, according to The Independent, added, "That is the conditioning of the hostages. That is itself already a sort of violence."
Vote Now: Should Congress Back Obama War Plan? Vote Here
The extremists put their hostages through mock crucifixions. That explains why they are seemingly composed prior to being killed. "They did not realize that this time it was the real thing," Francois said, according to the Mail.
Francois said that journalist James Foley was singled out for rougher treatment because ISIS discovered that his brother served in the U.S. military. He also described him as "one of the pillars" among the hostages, who "never cracked even under the most difficult conditions," according to the Mail.
Francois, Henin, and two other French hostages were released in April after his country purportedly paid an $18 million ransom through Turkish and other intermediaries. France denies a payoff was involved, according the Mail.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.