What We Know About NBC Reporter Richard Engel

Details about exactly who kidnapped Engel and his team seemingly changed after the fact, casting uncertainty upon the incident, especially after a New York Times article pointed out inconsistencies in Engel's account of events. That said, the outlet did write, "Mr. Engel and his team underwent a harrowing ordeal, and it is a common tactic for kidnappers in war zones to intentionally mislead hostages as to their identity."

The job has also left Engel with horrible images seared into his mind. Consider what he told The Washington Post: "I've seen hundreds of dead bodies — rotting bodies, bodies buried in shallow graves. One time I watched a dog carry a severed human head in its mouth. You're smelling bodies, you're seeing people who are so angry and insanely distraught. The people who are being killed are too old, too stupid, too poor, too young or too weak, socially or otherwise, to leave."