Islamic State militants claim that an aid worker from northern Arizona, held hostage by the group, has been killed in a Jordanian airstrike in Syria. As Arizona Public Radio's Gillian Ferris reports, ISIS released a statement today claiming the victim is 26 year old Kayla Mueller, a Prescott native and graduate of Northern Arizona University.
Officials with the U.S. State Department say they have no information at this time confirming ISIS' claim. A statement released by the terror group says Mueller was the only person killed in today's airstrike. Jordanian officials told ABC News the claim was "illogical" and the statement - which was circulated via Twitter - contains conflicting and suspicious information and no supporting photographic evidence.
U.S. officials confirm that an American female aid worker was taken hostage by Islamic State militants in Syria in August of 2013. However, they did not reveal her name at the time out of concern for her safety.
Mueller graduated from Northern Arizona University in 2009. She worked with humanitarian aid organizations worldwide before traveling to the Turkish-Syria border in 2012 to work with Syrian refugees.