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ISIS Video Threatens Japan Hostage Kenji Goto, Jordanian Pilot

A Japanese journalist and a Jordanian military pilot held hostage have less than 24 hours to live, according to a purported ISIS video message.
Japanese hostage Kenji Goto Jogo, left, and captive Jordanian pilot Mu’adh al-Kasasibah
Japanese hostage Kenji Goto Jogo, left, and captive Jordanian pilot Mu’adh al-KasasibahGetty Images; SITE Intelligence

A Japanese journalist and a Jordanian military pilot held hostage by ISIS have less than 24 hours to live, according to an online message that appears to be authentic, analysts said.

The video purportedly features the voice of ISIS hostage Kenji Goto and shows him holding a photograph of 1st Lt. Mu'ath al-Kaseasbeh, who has been held by ISIS since his plane crashed in Syria in December.

The recording repeated earlier demands for the release of Sajida al-Rishawi, an Iraqi woman sentenced to death in Jordan for involvement in a 2005 terror attack that killed 60 people.

It was posted Tuesday and bore similarities to earlier video messages featuring Goto, according to analysts, SITE Intelligence.

“I only have 24 hours left to live, and the pilot has even less,” says a voice in the video.

It is unclear exactly what options the Japanese government has to secure the release of Goto, who was capture in Syria in October. In an earlier video released Saturday, ISIS claimed it had executed Goto’s fellow Japanese captive, Haruna Yukawa.

IN-DEPTH

- Alastair Jamieson