Did Army Ranger Peter Kassig resist Jihadi John during his beheading? Speculation abounds why he made no statement. FULL VIDEO available here

American hostage Peter Kassig, who was allegedly beheaded by Islamic State terrorists did not make any statement to the camera as previous victims did. This has fueled speculation that Kassig may have been killed in another fashion, such as in an airstrike or while trying to escape, or he may have refused to cooperate with his captors and remained silent.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Catholic Online, which remains committed to bringing you the truth of Islamic State barbarism and allowing readers to decide for themselves, has the video, but we will link to the video below, allowing those who wish to view the content - or not, to choose for themselves.

The video opens with Kassig already beheaded, his head between the feet of "Jihadi John" the British national who is believed to be the executioner of other western hostages in Islamic State videos.

Let us protect Christians persecuted by the Islamic State.

Jihadi John sarcastically explains that Kassig "doesn't have much to say" and that his cellmates had done the talking for him. Then, Jihadi John launched into a monologue about the U.S. promising to leave Iraq and returning to spark a major conflict with the Islamic State. He threatened the deaths of Americans in the United States.

It is unknown just why Kassig wasn't filmed making a statement but some speculation abounds. The first rumor to surface was that he was in the convoy that killed several Islamic State brass and allegedly injured Jihadi John himself. He may have been killed if he were in one of the vehicles, which would deprive the Islamic State of their hostage. In such a case, he may have been decapitated after death.

Another possibility is that Kassig simply refused to speak into the camera or to cooperate with his captors. He may have even attempted to escape.

Kassig was an Army Ranger who served in Iraq before returning to Syria to provide humanitarian assistance to the people there. As an Army Ranger, his training would have taught him to resist the enemy and not to do anything that could shame his country.

Unlike the other captives, who were certainly forced to read from a script before they were killed, Kassig possibly resisted. As Americans we would like to believe this hypothesis is true because if it is it sends a more powerful message to the Islamic State than they can send to us. It tells them that no matter what evil they commit, Americans will resist them and their hoped-for final victory will always elude them.

The prayers of all the world's Catholics are with the Kassig family and for the soul of Peter Kassig who was not spared by his captors even despite a conversion to Islam. May God grant Peter kassig and his family peace and may they meet again in God's embrace. And may justice prevail against the Islamic State.

Enjoy Daily Readings? Pay it Forward

Those who wish to view the video may follow the link below. Please be warned, it shows the head of the courageous Peter Kassig and is graphic in nature.

Link to the video of Peter Kassig (WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT)

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'