The hostages are able to retain their poise probably because they don’t know they’re about to be executed, says Islamic State defector who claims ISIS jihadists routinely subjected foreign hostages to mock executions and gave them Arabic names.

SKY News Speaking exclusively to Sky News, “Saleh” said he was employed by a Turkish man in the group to reassure hostages their lives were not in danger – yet he says he always knew they would be killed. Saleh said the execution rehearsals took place so that when the moment of death finally came the hostages were not expecting to be killed and were relaxed to appeal for their release on camera.

He said: “He would tel me ‘say to them, no problem, only video, we don’t kill you, we want from your government [to] stop attacking Syria. We don’t have any problem with you; you are only our visitors. So they don’t worry. Always I say to them ‘don’t worry, doesn’t matter, nothing dangerous for you. But at the end I knew they were dead men.”

https://youtu.be/zWpC2ETTxGM