The Islamic State’s newest propaganda video shows the execution of Muhammad Said Ismail Musallam, a 19-year-old Israeli-Arab hostage whom the militants accused of being a spy for Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency.
There is one key detail that makes this ISIS barbarism worse than others: The executor is a small boy who appears to be about 11 years old.
Both the Israeli government and Musallam’s family deny that he worked for Mossad. Instead, the family told the Associated Press, he fought for ISIS and then tried to leave to tend to his sick mother.
“They did not want to let him leave because if he comes back, he might be caught by the Israelis and tell them what he had seen. So they wanted to get rid of him,” Musallam’s father told the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth. “I know my son. I am sure he’s not working for the Mossad.”
Mussallam, who was born in East Jerusalem in 1995, was brainwashed, according to his father.
“We saw his face and he was sitting with his friend. He said he would be receiving a lot of money from Isis and that they were going to find him a house and pay for his marriage,” his mother told the Guardian.
“I’m sure they brainwashed him. He’s just a kid. He doesn’t know better … They did not give me the chance to hug him or smell him or say goodbye. What kind of people are those. They are the devil. ”
ISIS advertised the video for days before it was released and promised to hunt down more supposed Mossad agents they said were in their midst.
H/T BuzzFeed | Screengrab via ISIS/BuzzFeed
