On Christmas Day last year, Alan Henning was sitting in a brightly lit cafe in southern Turkey, sharing a laugh with his friends before they set off on their journey. Henning, a big-hearted taxi driver from Bolton, northern England, was part of a team of volunteers traveling from Britain to Syria to deliver aid to people in need. Nicknamed "Gadget" by his peers, Henning was the only non-Muslim in the convoy. He sacrificed Christmas, weekends and family time to do his part for those worst hit by Syria's civil war, and was admired by his fellow volunteers. This was the father-of-two's fourth trip to the war-torn country. While part of the aid convoy stopped at the Turkish border, Henning was part of a much smaller group that volunteered to press ahead into Syria itself.
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British taxi driver Alan Henning was delivering aid to Syria when he was abducted
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Friends, colleagues and British Muslim leaders have asked ISIS to release him
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ISIS, which now controls large parts of Syria and Iraq, has beheaded several Western hostages
Those who travelled with @placeholder to Syria have steered clear of tough talk, adopting a softer tone in addressing the jihadists holding their friend.