Episodes 1, 2 and 3

An American mother living in the heart of the ISIS caliphate. Her husband an ISIS sniper. Her 10-year-old son forced to threaten the U.S. president in a propaganda video shown around the world. She claims she was tricked into taking her young children to war-torn Syria, but where does her account end and the truth begin? Over four years journalist Josh Baker unravels a dangerous story where nothing is as it seems.

This programme features episodes 1, 2 and 3. Hear the full series on BBC Sounds.
This programme includes descriptions of violence and some upsetting scenes involving children.

1. “I love you, I miss you”
A suicide bombing in Iraq and a home video from inside the ISIS caliphate begin the search for a family trapped in Syria. A desperate plea arrives from an American woman who says she wants to escape the Islamic State group with her young children.

2. “Read between the lines”
A man who says he’s a people smuggler offers to help the family, while a drive around a suburb in Indiana reveals their past. Sam’s father adds a new twist on who his daughter really is.

3. “My name is Yusef”
The Islamic State group forces Sam’s son Matthew to spread its propaganda. Josh searches the woods of Idaho looking for a man on an elk hunt. Then an obscure tweet leads him to Syria to try to find the family.

CREDITS:
Reporter: Josh Baker
Written by: Josh Baker and Joe Kent
Producers: Joe Kent and Max Green
Production assistant: Lucie Sullivan
Composer: Sam Slater
Sound Design and Mix: Tom Brignell
Series Editor: Emma Rippon
Commissioning Executive: Dylan Haskins
Commissioning Editor: Jason Phipps

“I’m Not a Monster” is a collaboration between BBC Panorama and FRONTLINE (PBS) and is a BBC Radio Current Affairs production for BBC Sounds.