The parents of Peter Kassig, a United States aid worker taken hostage by the Islamic state militants, has released a video message on Saturday, begging the group for mercy and for the release of their son.

In the video, Kassig was referred to as Abdul-Rahman, the name he took when he was converted to Islam while at the hands of his captors, according to his family.

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"We implore his captors to show mercy and use their power to let our son go," his father, Ed Kassig, said on the video.

The 26-year-old Kassig originally served in the Middle East as a soldier, but later on returned as an aid worker to help the civilians affected by the war.

The video message also showed his mother, Paula, telling her son that they were proud of him and the work he has done in helping the Syrian people.

According to his father, Kassig grew to love Syria and its people, and felt "at home" in the country, adding that his son has embraced Islam, and his capture was unfortunate because he will not be able to continue his work in serving Syrians.

Peter Kassig was taken on Oct. 1, 2013, by the Islamic State militants while working on a humanitarian mission for Syrian refugees.

His parents first spoke regarding their son's situation on Friday, after the militant group released the video of Alan Henning's beheading and threatening to do the same to their son.

In the couple's statement Friday, Ed and Paula confirmed that their son has been taken hostage by the Islamic State militants, but refused to further discuss his abduction.

The couple provided no details regarding the incident since Kassig was taken last year.

After high school in 2006, Kassig enlisted in the army and was deployed in Iraq till he was dishonorably discharged in 2007 because of health reasons.

However, in 2012, he founded  a group called SERA, and returned to Iraq to provide humanitarian help to refugees.

TagsISIL, ISIS, Peter Kassig