Former US hostage Matt Schrier tells of red-tape 'nightmare' after release
US photographer captured by jihadis for seven months claims father was not told by authorities
An American taken hostage by Syrian jihadis for seven months until he escaped has revealed how the US government never told his father he had been kidnapped, waited six months to produce a wanted poster, and allowed jihadists to empty his bank account of US$17,000 with eBay purchases.
Matt Schrier, 36, a freelance photographer who was held by extremists for seven months last year, said that the bureaucracy he endured upon his return home was a second kind of nightmare following the months of abuse he suffered while he was a hostage.
As well as failing to inform his father of the kidnapping and delays in producing the wanted poster, Schrier said the government made him reimburse the State Department US$1,605 for his ticket home just weeks after he arrived in the United States.
The psychiatrist assigned to help him readjust cancelled five appointments in the first two months. And when he had no means to rent an apartment, FBI victims services recommended New York homeless shelters.
"I never thought it would get this bad," Schrier said.
The FBI declined to comment on the specifics of Schrier's complaints but said in a statement that "when an American is detained illegally overseas, the FBI's top priority is ensuring the safe return of that individual".
There is no way to independently confirm Schrier's version of events, and emails he shared with McClatchy make it clear that his relationship with his FBI handlers was, at best, acrimonious.
But his telling of his experience is consistent with the anger relatives of other hostages have expressed when speaking of their interactions with US government officials.
"The next time the FBI calls me will be the first time," said Schrier's father, Jeffrey, 67, who lives near Fort Lauderdale, Florida. "I thank God my son was able to escape, because if he was waiting for the government to spring him he would still be waiting in that hellhole."
Spurred by the recent beheadings of three Americans who had been held hostage in Syria by Islamic State, the Obama administration earlier this month said it was reviewing the way government agencies handle hostages and their families.
But none of the families of those who have been killed or are still missing has been asked to be a part of the review, which White House spokesman Josh Earnest last week said began in August.
Schrier and another American who was released said they too has not been contacted. Some families said the administration had yet to reply to a weeklong request to give their input to the review.Jeffrey Schrier asked: "If there had been a policy, on what planet would you not notify the kidnapped person's father?"
National Security Council spokesman Alistair Baskey said the White House not comment.
