ISIS Japanese Hostages Latest News: Japan P.M. Confirms Killing; ISIS Demands Prisoner Swap
The video showing the corpse of one of two Japanese hostages held by the Islamic State appeared to be credible, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Saturday, adding that the killing of Haruna Yukawa left him "speechless."
Abe said Japanese authorities were investigating the video recording, which was shot in a format that was very different from the string of execution videos taken by ISIS in the past.
The new video had images of hostage Kenji Goto holding a blurred photo of the headless corpse of Yukawa, a self-styled security contractor who was captured in Syria by ISIS militants last summer.
Speaking in English with Japanese accent, Goto said his "cellmate" was dead as he pleaded for his life. He said ISIS already dropped its demand for a $200-million ransom in favor of a prisoner exchange.
Goto said his abductors demand the release of Sajida Al-Rishawi, an Iraqi woman who is now on death row in Jordan for her part in an al-Qaeda suicide bombing mission in 2005 with her husband. They targeted a wedding in a hotel in Amman, and her husband killed at least 57 people, but she was caught after her suicide belt failed to detonate.
Rohan Gunaratna, head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, explained that for ISIS, Sajida is a symbol of "a model fighter."
Abe condemned the killing of Yukawa, calling it "an outrageous and unforgivable act" even as he called for the "immediate release" of Goto.
Abe reportedly declined to comment on the possibility of a prisoner exchange for Goto, noting that the government was still working on the situation.
Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Yasuhide Nakayama immediately flew to Jordan to coordinate rescue efforts for Goto.
Japanese officials admitted they were unable to reach ISIS representatives to start a dialogue hours before an arbitrary deadline for the ransom payment.
U.S. President Barack Obama also called for the immediate release of the 47-year-old Goto as he likewise condemned "the brutal murder" of Yukawa. Obama promised to stand "shoulder to shoulder" with Japan in dealing with the terrorists.
With its new demand for a prisoner exchange, the ISIS appears to have shifted in tactics in dealing with its enemies, with the attention now focused on Jordan, which is part of the U.S.-led military coalition against the terrorist group in Iraq and Syria.
