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Matt Schrier

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Matthew B. Schrier is an American former photographer who escaped from al Qaeda.

Early life and career

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Schrier is from Deer Park, New York, and attended Hofstra University, where he was an English major who also studied film production.[1][2][3] He entered Syria with the help of the Free Syrian Army. Schrier captured images of FSA rebels fighting forces of the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad.[4]

Abduction by the al-Nusra Front

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In late December 2012, Schrier was captured by Jabhat al-Nusra, the Al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria, while traveling on the road between Aleppo and the Turkish border.[5] A Jeep Cherokee cut across from the side of the road and three men jumped out. Schrier told 60 Minutes, "One of 'em was cloaked completely in black, you know, like the guys in the movies -- scarf around his face, AK-47 in his hand, and he took me out, put me in the back seat of the Cherokee and he put the barrel of the gun to the side of my head."[4] While a rookie photographer himself,[6] he was among a collection of kidnapped American journalists held by Syrian jihadis.[7] He was eventually held in a series of rebel-controlled prisons in the Syrian city of Aleppo.[8]

He strategically converted to Islam in March 2013 as a survival tactic to get better treatment, a tactic that ended up working.[1]

Escape

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In July 2013 Schrier became the first Westerner to ever successfully escape from al Qaeda. Before sunrise, his cellmate Peter Theo Curtis lifted Shrier through the window, enabling Shrier to escape. Now outside of the prison, Shrier then decided his best chance of survival was to leave Curtis behind and escape alone. The men have given conflicting accounts of the escape attempt. Schrier claims that Curtis became stuck in a window and so he left him behind. Curtis claims this is a lie. He has said that Schrier failed to help him adequately and abandoned him, and he has said that he told Schrier to go for help.[8][9][10][11]

Aftermath

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His book The Dawn Prayer (Or How to Survive in a Secret Syrian Terrorist Prison): A Memoir (ISBN 1944648887) was published on April 3, 2018.

In 2018 Shrier was featured on the National Geographic television show Locked Up Abroad in the episode 'Escape from Al Qaeda'. Curtis was not featured.[6]

In January 2020, Schrier filed a lawsuit against Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB), as he claimed that they provide sponsorship for al-Qaeda.[12][13]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Chivers, C. J. (22 August 2013). "The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  2. ^ Grondahl, By Paul (23 November 2012). "Syria strife, through a lens darkly - Times Union". Times Union. timesunion.com. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  3. ^ "Matthew Schrier, of Syosset, returns to U.S. after being held in Syrian prison - News 12 Long Island". longisland.news12.com. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  4. ^ a b Pelley, Scott (11 November 2013). "210 Days in Captivity". 60 Minutes. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
  5. ^ Baksh, Nazim and Adrienne Arsenault (25 November 2015). "Ex-hostage says there may be Canadian al-Qaeda link". CBC News. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  6. ^ a b Escape from Al Qaeda, Locked Up Abroad, Alex Humes, Mat Laroche, Youssef Tounzi, 2018-01-10, retrieved 2024-11-23{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  7. ^ Pelley, Scott (August 21, 2014). "Escaped Hostage: "Oh My God They Are Collecting Us"". www.cbsnews.com. CBS News. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
  8. ^ a b Chivers, C.J. (22 August 2013). "American Tells of Odyssey as Prisoner of Syrian Rebels". The New York Times. Retrieved September 3, 2014.
  9. ^ Berbner, Bastian (13 September 2015). "Die Hölle, das ist der andere". Die Zeit. Retrieved January 28, 2017.
  10. ^ Picard, Ken (November 30, 2016). "Former al-Qaeda Prisoner Theo Padnos Reflects on His Ordeal". Seven Days. Retrieved 18 January 2020.
  11. ^ Sowell, Katye O. (1989-10-01). "Taxicab Geometry-A New Slant". Mathematics Magazine. 62 (4): 238. doi:10.2307/2689762. ISSN 0025-570X.
  12. ^ "Complaint: Plaintiff Matthew Schrier alleges the following in support of his claims" (PDF). United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida. January 2020.
  13. ^ "Former American Hostage Sues Qatari Bank For Allegedly His Al-Qaeda Captors, Says Royals Were 'Neck Deep In This'". Newsweek. 5 February 2020.
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