Footage Reveals Freed Baltimore Writer Fighting With Rebels In Libya
BALTIMORE (WJZ)—Armed and fighting with rebels in Libya. Baltimore resident Matthew VanDyke is caught on camera firing a weapon.
Mary Bubala reports it's just weeks after he escaped from a Gadhafi-held prison.
Among the rebels fighting Gadhafi forces in Libya, Baltimore writer Matthew VanDyke is seen firing an anti-aircraft gun.
He came in March to support a Libyan friend. He was caught and held for nearly six months, escaping when Tripoli fell.
"I came to this country willing to kill people for freedom," VanDyke said. "Yeah, it's something that I struggle with. I hope I don't have to kill anybody. Maybe I just did. I don't know."
The writer turned warrior made front page news here in Baltimore. His family says they are supporting him but they worry if he is captured again people won't rally to his cause.
"This was his decision and that's on him," said his girlfriend Lauren Fischer.
"I told him once he turned that offer down he was on his own," said his mother, Sharon VanDyke. "I can't go back to the government or to the NGOs looking for him."
And it appears the rebels Matthew VanDyke is fighting with are making progress. In recorded gunfight, they captured a sniper, taking him away and moving their line of fire forward.
Matthew VanDyke's family says they speak with him from time to time from Sirte, where he is now fighting. They also continue to post updates on a Facebook page called "Free Matthew VanDyke."
