A 3 year-old Kurdish-Iraqi boy was kidnapped by ISIS in 2004 because his father named him after famous Argentine footballer, Lionel Messi. He was captured along with his mother and sister from their home in Sinjar, northern Iraq
ISIS kidnapped a three-year-old Iraqi boy and kept him hostage for two years because he was named after Lionel Messi (🎥 via @K24English) pic.twitter.com/jew54vWYNo
— B/R Football (@brfootball) April 26, 2017
His father told Kurdistan 24 that his wife was forced to change the infidel name to Hassan and they also demanded a ransom. The 5 year-old lad has since been rescued and resides at refugee camp in Dohuk, Iraqi Kurdistan. According to reports, psychological pressures have almost rendered him speechless, he now brandishes a toy gun rather than the football he once preferred to play with. He shakes his head when referred to as Messi – apparently in fear of the militants.