Boy rescued after appearing in Isis propaganda videos speaks of ‘relief’ to be home

A young American boy who was seen in an Isis video threatening President Donald Trump says he has put the experience “all behind” him, describing his return home to the US as a “sweet relief”.

Now 13 years old, Matthew was filmed by Isis for a propaganda video when he was just 10. In the video, he called Mr Trump a “puppet of the Jews” and that he should “prepare for a battle on US soil”.

In the 2017 video, Matthew was seen saying: “My message to Trump, the puppet of the Jews: Allah has promised us victory and he's promised you defeat. This battle is not going to end in Raqqa or Mosul. It's going to end in your lands… So get ready, for the fighting has just begun."

Matthew was rescued from Isis territory by the US military in 2018, after spending three years in captivity. He has now been living back in America with his father for over a year, and has been receiving extensive counselling.

When asked how it felt to be back home, Matthew said: “It’s like being in tight clothes or tight shoes all day and then just taking it off and just feeling nice and chilling in a hot bath. That’s what it felt like. Sweet relief.”

Speaking about his ordeal in a new interview aired by BBC News, Matthew said: "It's happened and it's done. It's all behind me now.

"I was so young I did not really understand any of it," he added.

Matthew was brought to Syria by his mother Samantha Sally and step-father Moussa Elhassani, who joined Isis and was sent to Raqqa, a city claimed by the group as its capital, for training.

He said that he wasn’t given a choice but to take part in the video, because of his stepfather's anger. "He was starting to lose it, like he was mentally unstable, very mentally unstable," he said.

"When we were first in Raqqa, we were in the city parts. It was pretty noisy, gunshots normally," he said. “Once in a while a random explosion, like far away, though. So we didn't have too much to worry about.”

Matthew’s mother reached out to her sister for help in 2017, attaching videos of Matthew. In one, the boy was seen preparing a suicide belt following his step-father’s instructions. In another, he was attempting to take apart a loaded AK-47.

Matthew’s stepfather Elhassani died in a suspected drone strike in 2017. His , who said she was “tricked” into moving to Syria, has been convicted of financing terrorism and sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison.

Speaking about his stepfather’s death, Matthew said: "I was happy 'cause I didn't like him, obviously.

“I don't think I should have been, because a person died, but I was. We were all crying out of joy."