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. 

News
ACNA leader takes leave of absence amid investigation into alleged abuse
ACNA leader takes leave of absence amid investigation into alleged abuse

The head of the Anglican Church in North America has taken a leave of absence as an investigation into allegations of abuse leveled against him continues.

Bible reading linked to greater generosity, study finds
Bible reading linked to greater generosity, study finds

Research into Bible reading by the American Bible Society (ABS) has found that it impacts on generosity, compassion, and social attitudes.

What is the Filoque Controversy in the Nicene Creed?
What is the Filoque Controversy in the Nicene Creed?

The Nicene Creed was formulated 1,700 years ago in AD 325 at the Council of Nicaea. Later, one clause in it called the Filoque was a cause of division between the Eastern and Western Church. This is the story …

Top BBC journalist to speak at London church service
Top BBC journalist to speak at London church service

A leading BBC journalist will share insights gained while covering the war in Ukraine during a poignant remembrance service in London on the evening of 11 November.