ISIS Issues New Threat Against Hostages

Rod Nordland, New York Times

27 January 2015

AMMAN, Jordan — The Islamic State appeared to issue a new ultimatum Tuesday, with an audio message giving the Jordanian government 24 hours or less to release a female terrorist or else the militants will kill not only a Japanese hostage but also a captured Jordanian pilot.

In the audio message, a man who said he was the Japanese hostage, the freelance journalist Kenji Goto, said that he had only 24 hours to live and that the pilot had even less time unless the Jordanians release the woman, Sajida al-Rishawi. Ms. Rishawi is on death row for her role in a devastating 2005 bomb attack in Jordan.

“I’ve been told this is my last message, and I’ve also been told that the barrier of extracting my freedom is now just the Jordanian government delaying the handover of Sajida,” Mr. Goto said in the message posted on Islamic State-linked Twitter accounts, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, an organization that monitors extremist websites.

The pilot, Lt. Moaz al-Kasasbeh, was shot down over Syria a month ago during coalition air operations against the Islamic State. It was unclear if Mr. Goto was suggesting the pilot would be released with him if Ms. Rishawi were turned over, or just that the pilot’s life would be spared.

There was no official confirmation that the latest message was genuine; the Islamic State has issued confirmation of videos about hostages in the past. But the message was in the same style as the one on Saturday showing the murder of another Japanese hostage; Islamic State officials eventually authenticated that video.

As with Saturday’s message announcing the beheading of the other hostage, Haruna Yukawa, 42, Tuesday’s was included in a video showing a still photo of Mr. Goto, with his voice on an audio track.

Japanese and Jordanian officials have said they have been working together on the release of both the Japanese journalist and the Jordanian pilot. There has been strong political support here for the exchange of Ms. Rishawi for the freedom of the pilot.

But when the Islamic State dropped its demand for a $200 million ransom for the two Japanese on Saturday, after it killed Mr. Yukawa, it changed its demand to the exchange of Ms. Rishawi for Mr. Goto. That led to widespread concern here that Japan would arrange for its own hostage’s freedom, but leave the pilot to his fate.

Mr. Goto’s message was pessimistic in tone. In an apparent reference to ongoing negotiations with Jordan, he said: “Any more delaying tactics will simply see both of us getting killed. The ball is now in the Jordanian court.”

It was not clear why there might be less time for the pilot.

Addressing his wife and the people and government of Japan, Mr. Goto said, “Tell the Japanese government to put all their political pressure on Jordan.”

Japan is a major foreign aid donor to Jordan, and has pledged $150 million to help Syrian refugees in Jordan, according to Ali Bani Ata, a member of Parliament and head of the Japan Jordan Friendship Association.

Ms. Rishawi was convicted of being one of four suicide bombers who struck three hotels in Amman in 2005, killing more than 57 people. Her own suicide vest failed to detonate and she was later apprehended and sentenced to death for her role in the attack.

Featured Image: This still image taken from video released by the Islamic State’s branch in Raqqa, Syria, shows the capture of Lt. Moaz al-Kasasbeh, the Jordanian pilot shot down over Syria a month ago. The militant group has threatened to kill the pilot and a Japanese hostage within 24 hours. Copyright: Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

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