Metin Ceylan is a trucker employed by Usluel, a Turkish power company. He was seized along with colleagues Fatih Yigit and Pasa Saglam; according to their employer, they were in Iraq to recover the firm's equipment after Usluel's withdrawal from the country a year ago.

A video featuring the three men were released on August 8, along with a statement that they would be killed unless their company withdrew from Iraq.