Jordanian pilot Moath Al-Kasasbeh was put into a cage and burned alive by ISIS after he was taken captive when his plane went down late last year.

Who Was Murdered Jordanian Pilot Moath Al-Kasasbeh?

Al-Kasasbeh, 27 , had served in the Royal Jordanian Air Force, in which he’d achieved the rank of lieutenant. The trained pilot was on a mission that was part of the U.S.-led coalition airstrikes near Raqqa when he fell into the hands of ISIS. “We entered the region of Raqqa to sweep the area, then the striker jets entered to begin their attack,” al-Kasasbeh said, according to the online publication. “My plane was struck by a heat-seeking missile. I heard and felt its hit.”

The Jordanian government and U.S. Central Command have both refuted the suggestion that ISIS shot down al-Kasasbeh’s plane. It is likely that al-Kasasbeh was coerced into giving the false account to provide propaganda for ISIS.

Al-Kasasbeh came from Karak governorate in Jordan and grew up as one of eight children. He was from a high-ranking tribe that is known to be particularly loyal to the royal family. The devout Muslim, who memorized the Quran, was determined to be a pilot and eventually graduated form King Hussein Air College.

Safi al-Kasasbeh, al-Kasasbeh’s father, said his son was “a very modest and religious person,” in an interview with The Jordan Times, adding that he “was never harmful to anyone.”

It is believed that al-Kasasbeh’s gruesome murder, while only being exposed this week, took place sometime in January.