Hours after confirming the death of American aid worker Kayla Mueller at the hands of Islamic State terrorists, Obama administration officials confirmed Tuesday at least one more American is being held captive in the region.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest would not discuss specifics, saying that the administration believes it is not wise to publicly identify hostages. He also did not confirm that the Islamic State is the group holding the American.
“There is at least one other hostage that is being held in the region,” he told reporters Tuesday. “We are aware — we have avoided discussing the individual cases of Americans being held hostage — but we are aware of one other American hostage being held in the region.”
He went on to clarify that the administration believes there is “at least” one additional American hostage.
Mueller, 26, was the latest American to be killed after being taken captive by the Islamic State. The terrorist group says she was killed during a Jordanian airstrike on an Islamic State weapons depot, but the White House says there is no evidence to support that claim.
• Ben Wolfgang can be reached at bwolfgang@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.