British ISIS members say they were jailers of Christian aid worker Kayla Mueller

More light has been shed on the horrific ordeal of a young Christian woman who was raped and tortured by ISIS militants before being killed.

In a video obtained by US news channel NCB, British ISIS members Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh shared details about the imprisonment of 26-year-old American, Kayla Mueller, who was an aid worker when she was taken hostage.  She died in 2015. 

Kotey, 36, and Elsheikh, 31, are being held by the US military at a base in Iraq. 

They were part of a group of militants nicknamed the Beatles because of their English accents.  The group took prisoners for ransom money but many were killed when their demands were not met.

Describing Mueller's captivity, Kotey said: "She was in a room by herself that no one would go in." 

Elsheikh told of how he "took an email from her myself" - understood to mean that he extracted an email address from Mueller to send a ransom demand to. 

He also described her as being kept in a room by herself.

"She was in a large room, it was dark, and she was alone, and . . . she was very scared," he said.

Mueller was kidnapped in Syria after visiting a Doctors Without Borders hospital and held for 18 months, during which time she was repeatedly raped by ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.  

In 2016, former fellow hostages said that Mueller had stood up for her Christian faith during her captivity. 

"One of the Beatles started to say, 'Oh, this is Kayla, and she has been held all by herself. And she is much stronger than you guys. And she's much smarter. She converted to Islam.' And then she was like, 'No, I didn't,'" said Dutch photographer Ray Ottosen, who was held alongside her. 

Speaking in an interview for the 20/20 The Girl Left Behind programme, he added: "I would not have had the guts to say that. I don't think so."

Her father Carl told the Daily Mail it's been hard to hear the details of her ordeal. 

"It's not easy to go through this, it's been five years since Kayla has been gone, a year and a half before that she was captured, it's hard, very hard," he said. 

Newsletter Stay up to date with Christian Today
News
Christian woman persecuted by Iranian regime sentenced to 9 years in prison
Christian woman persecuted by Iranian regime sentenced to 9 years in prison

A Christian convert in Iran has been sentenced to nine years and eight months in prison on trumped-up charges linked to state security and anti-government activity.

John Lennox fears AI is making us lazy
John Lennox fears AI is making us lazy

Christian media leaders heard calls for courage, authenticity and discernment at the recent Revive 2026 conference.

Does the Church of England need to re-think its messaging?
Does the Church of England need to re-think its messaging?

If you look at the Church of England’s communications all that it ever seems to highlight is the good works that Christians do to improve the temporal well-being of their neighbours. It is right to highlight these things, but they are not the primary reason for the Church’s existence.

How one man overcame his stammer to reach thousands as a radio host
How one man overcame his stammer to reach thousands as a radio host

Konnect Radio founder Gareth Cottrell struggled with a stammer as a child. Now he reaches tens of thousands across the UK with his faith-filled broadcasting.