Luke Somers
| Luke Somers | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Luke Daniel Somers 1981 London, England, United Kingdom |
| Died | December 6, 2014 (aged 33) Yemen |
| Nationality | United Kingdom/United States |
| Alma mater | Beloit College (2008) |
| Occupation | Photojournalist |
Luke Daniel Somers (1981 – 6 December 2014) was a British-born American photojournalist who had been held hostage by the militant Islamist group al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in Yemen. He was a dual citizen of the United Kingdom and the United States. He traveled to Egypt before settling in Yemen.
Somers was described by his friend as "a great man with a kind heart who really loves the Yemeni people and the country ... He was so dedicated in trying to help change Yemen's future, to do good things for the people that he didn't leave the country [Yemen] his entire time here."
Somers was born in the United Kingdom but grew up in Sacramento, California and Renton, Washington. He graduated from Beloit College in Wisconsin with a bachelor's degree in creative writing in 2008, and later traveled to Egypt before settling in Yemen.
Somers worked as a freelance journalist. His pictures were featured in the BBC and Al Jazeera. He was a freelance photographer for the Yemen Times.
His work was featured at the 2016 Yemeni Film & Arts Festival in New York. They were part of an exhibit at New York University's Kevorkian Center in Manhattan.
His work will also be shown April 15–17 at the Friends Meeting of Washington, DC.
Somers was kidnapped by Al Qaeda in Sana'a, the capital of Yemen, in September 2013.
In December 2014, Somers appeared in a video that was issued by AQAP. The video, which is aimed at the United States government, includes an AQAP official saying that the United States has three days to meet their demands. In the video, the official also says that “otherwise the American hostage held by us will meet his inevitable fate.” The video does not specify the demands AQAP want the United States to meet. The mission to rescue Somers was disclosed in response to the release of the video by AQAP.
Somers' mother and brother posted a video online in response to the AQAP's video. In the video, they pleaded with AQAP to "show mercy," and appealed for Somers' release. They also said Somers was only "trying to do good things for the Yemeni population."
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