Hi Frontline listeners, I'm Rainy Aronson, executive producer of Frontline.

Today we're sharing episode two of Frontline's first ever multi-part

investigative podcast series.

It's called I'm Not a Monster. We made the show with our partners at BBC Sounds in BBC Panorama.

I'm not a monster is the story of an American family's journey from Indiana to the heart of the self-declared ISIS

caliphate and back. We'll be publishing the first few episodes of the story here.

To listen to the rest of the series, subscribe to I'm not a monster wherever you get your podcast.

And now episode two. The Frontline Dispatch is made possible by the Abrams Foundation committed to excellence in journalism and by the Frontline Journalism Fund with major support from John and Joanne Hagler.

Support for Frontline Dispatch comes from the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center,

dedicated to providing the latest therapies and cancer specialists who are experienced in your cancer.

When you hear the word cancer, their team is ready.

Learn more at mass general.org

slash cancer.

Before we go any further,

there are some descriptions of violence and some upsetting moments involving children in this episode.

My story, oh yeah absolutely absolutely. It is very difficult to believe. It is very hard to believe.

I had a feeling that she was in some sort of trouble, and then she sent me the email telling me that they were

in Raka with the kids and she didn't know how much longer she could last.

What do you do if you hear a helicopter and American pigs come down?

I'm going to walk out and say,

come save me, come save me, my name is Matthew, I'm American, come save me my name is Matthew I'm American come save me

whatever I've done anything I've ever done is only with the intention of something

...