Rescued from ISIS: The Gripping True Story of How a Father Saved His Son

by Dimitri Bontinck Narrated by Keith Szarabajka

Overview

This is the inspiring and terrifying tale of one man's journey to the Middle East to save his child from radical Islam.

Dimitri Bontinck lived every parent's worst nightmare: his teenage son, introduced to Islam by his girlfriend, fell into the clutches of a radical mosque. Dimitri watched helplessly as his son Jay transformed from a gentle boy to a soldier in training, wearing traditional robes and following a strict diet. Completely brainwashed, Jay snuck out of the house and traveled to Syria, all but vanishing. Too late, Dimitri learned that their country, Belgium, was the leading hotbed of Islamic radicalization. Large numbers of teenagers were being lured into this world and expertly indoctrinated into radical Islam. One by one, they disappeared into the Middle East, most never to be seen again.

With no one to help him, Dimitri-a white, Christian-raised atheist-set off on his own to save his son. Using only his military training, a lot of courage, and a little luck, he gradually made contacts in the Middle East and, after months of searching, was able to find his son and bring him home. The world was shocked at his unprecedented success, and he started receiving pleas from families around the world, asking that he get their children back, as well. Increasingly fearful for his own life but unable to ignore these cries for help, Dimitri accepted his newfound role as the jihadi hunter.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

★ 06/26/2017
Bontinck, a former Belgian soldier and U.N. peacekeeper in Slovenia, writes of his harrowing quest to find his radicalized son, who joined a group of ISIS terrorists. His pride in his son, Jay, born to a Nigerian mother, never wavers as Bontinck charts the evolution of a curious, Catholic boy into a 16-year-old jihadist, brainwashed by “hardline, pure Islamic views,” militant videos, and lectures on Islamophobia and “corrupt Christians.” In 2013, Jay joined a group of foreign fighters willing to die for Allah in Syria, while his father traveled to the war-ravaged region in desperate search of him. Following two fruitless trips, Bontinck learned that the group had accused his son of being a spy and that Jay was being held in an ISIS prison containing American journalist James Foley and British photographer John Cantlie. Bontinck’s dogged determination and meaningful contacts opened the door for Jay’s release months later. The rescue is one of the few success stories among parents who have lost their children to ISIS recruitment. Bontinck’s account is a loving and revealing tribute to the father-son bond. (Aug.)

From the Publisher

"[Bontinck] writes of his harrowing quest to find his radicalized son, who joined a group of ISIS terrorists. . . . Bontinck’s account is a loving and revealing tribute to the father-son bond." —Publishers Weekly starred review

"Mr. Bontinck is the rare type of individual who understands that simply hoping for evil and injustice in the world to politely go away is a fatuous mindset at best and a life threatening one at worst. Listen closely to what he is saying. Ignore him at your own risk." —Douglas Laux, former CIA operations officer and New York Times bestselling author of Left of Boom

"Equally thrilling and alarming, Rescued from ISIS is a true story that reads like Not Without My Daughter meets Taken. Dimitri Bontinck is incredibly courageous and the story of how he traveled to Syria to save his son from Muslim extremists resonates long after I turned the final page. Buy this book!" —Bruce Porter, New York Times bestselling author of Blow and Snatched

Kirkus Reviews

2017-06-06
A Belgian military veteran and former United Nations peacekeeper tells how he rescued his son from the infamous terrorist group.Failing to find help from Belgian authorities when his son, Jay, disappeared, Bontinck had no alternative but to fall back on his own resources. Fortunately, he was armed with both love for his son and the personal courage sufficient to succeed against the deadly dangers he encountered during his mission. His personal, in-depth account is a powerful dissection of the step-by-step recruitment of his son into the web of Islamic terrorist networks. This process began when Jay's new girlfriend, a Muslim from Morocco, asked, "why don't you convert to Islam?" After attending a few services at a local mosque, he changed his name and clothing, grew a beard, and became a participant in a radical group called Sharia4Belgium. When Jay was 18, Bontinck learned that a friend had called to tell Jay that he was in Syria along with all of Jay's friends. Jay deceived his father with a duplicitous cover story and left to join them. Discovering a clue to his son's whereabouts from a video on YouTube, he began his quest to find him. Jay, meanwhile, had aroused the suspicions of the terrorists and been thrown into an underground dungeon as a suspected enemy agent. Frequently one step behind Jay's captors, the author was captured but was able to escape, and he developed a network that helped him track down his son, who had been sent to die working in Aleppo. Arrested as a terrorist on his return, Jay provided information to law enforcement and helped convict the recruitment network in court. Bontinck had done what no one had before, and he became the person other families could turn to for help. A moving personal account that offers profound insights into Islamic terrorism and the struggle against it.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169913415
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	08/08/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged

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