Daniel Rye Ottosen (born 1989 in Give, Denmark) is a Danish photojournalist, author and public speaker who became internationally known after returning home in June 2014 following 398 days as a hostage of the Islamic State in Syria. He was the last Western hostage to leave the ISIS prison alive, and has since testified in trials in the United States and France against his former captors. His story is told in Puk Damsgård's bestselling book 'The ISIS Hostage', adapted into a film in 2019, and in his own memoir 'Nærmest fri' (2023).
Daniel Rye testified in March 2025 in a major terrorism trial in Paris and met one of his former IS guards, Mehdi Nemmoche, face to face.
In early 2025, Daniel Rye gave lectures about the book 'Almost Free' in a series of Danish cities, including Aarhus, Odense, Herning, Haderslev and Tønder.
In September 2023, Daniel Rye published his own book 'Almost Free - My Way Out of Darkness', which deals with life after captivity and trials against his guards.
In August 2022, IS fighter El Shafee Elsheikh was sentenced to life imprisonment after Daniel Rye testified against him at a federal court in Virginia, USA.
Alexanda Kotey, another member of the IS group 'The Beatles', was sentenced to life imprisonment in April 2022; Daniel Rye met him personally in connection with the trial.
Daniel Rye recounts his captivity under ISIS and the legal proceedings that followed his release in this personal testimony.
Daniel Rye shares his full story from his kidnapping in Syria to his trial in the USA, where he faced two of his torturers in court.
