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

Early life and career

Schrier is from Deer Park, New York, and attended

Hofstra University Hofstra University is a Private university, private research university in Hempstead, New York, United States. It originated in 1935 as an extension of New York University and became an independent college in 1939. Comprising ten schools, includ ...

, where he was an English major who also studied film production. He entered Syria with the help of the

Free Syrian Army The Free Syrian Army (FSA; ) is a Big tent, big-tent coalition of decentralized Syrian opposition (2011–2024), Syrian opposition rebel groups in the Syrian civil war founded on 29 July 2011 by Colonel Riad al-Asaad and six officers who defe ...

. Schrier captured images of FSA rebels fighting forces of the Syrian president

Bashar al-Assad Bashar al-Assad (born 11September 1965) is a Syrian politician, military officer and former dictator Sources characterising Assad as a dictator: who served as the president of Syria from 2000 until fall of the Assad regime, his government ...

Abduction by the al-Nusra Front

In late December 2012, Schrier was captured by Jabhat al-Nusra, the

Al-Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...

affiliate in Syria, while traveling on the road between

Aleppo Aleppo is a city in Syria, which serves as the capital of the Aleppo Governorate, the most populous Governorates of Syria, governorate of Syria. With an estimated population of 2,098,000 residents it is Syria's largest city by urban area, and ...

and the Turkish border. A Jeep Cherokee cut across from the side of the road and three men jumped out. Schrier told

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who distinguished it from other news programs by using a unique style o ...

, "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." While a rookie photographer himself, he was among a collection of kidnapped American journalists held by Syrian jihadis. He was eventually held in a series of rebel-controlled prisons in the Syrian city of

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

Escape

In July 2013 Schrier became the first Westerner to ever successfully escape from al Qaeda. Before sunrise, his cellmate Peter Theo Curtis lifted Schrier through the window, enabling Schrier to escape. Now outside of the prison, Schrier 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.

Aftermath

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

National Geographic ''National Geographic'' (formerly ''The National Geographic Magazine'', sometimes branded as ''Nat Geo'') is an American monthly magazine published by National Geographic Partners. The magazine was founded in 1888 as a scholarly journal, nine ...

television show '' Locked Up Abroad'' in the episode 'Escape from Al Qaeda'. Curtis was not featured. In January 2020, Schrier filed a lawsuit against Qatar Islamic Bank (QIB), as he claimed that they provide sponsorship for al-Qaeda.

References

External links