Abe slams IS video claiming execution of hostage Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has condemned a video posted online which suggests that Haruna Yukawa, one of the two Japanese hostages held by the Islamic State (#IS) militants, has been executed. youtu.be/XAz5ZL6ZmMA The video reportedly shows the second Japanese hostage, Kenji Goto, holding a picture of what appears to be Yukawa’s body and laying out a new IS demand for his freedom. Goto is shown saying that the militants have dropped the ransom demand, issued earlier in the week. He says that they want a suspected female suicide bomber, Sajida al-Rishawi, who is being held in Jordan to be released in exchange, as per a Reuters report. The Japanese government has been coordinating its response to the hostage taking from an office it set up in Jordan earlier in the week. Although Japanese officials are yet to verify and confirm the authenticity of the video, a Reuters report has cited two U.S. government sources as saying that they believe Yukawa has been executed. A similar assessment has been provided by the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors militant groups worldwide. Following the release of the video late on Saturday night, Abe led an emergency ministerial meeting and issued a statement terming it as an “outrageous and unacceptable” act of “terrorism.” He also called for the immediate release of Goto, saying that “we are using every diplomatic channel and means to work toward a release. U.S. President Barack Obama, who is on his way to India, has also issued a statement saying that the U.S. strongly condemns the brutal murder of Japanese citizen Haruna Yukawa. He pledged to stand shoulder to shoulder with Japan. The video comes after the militants had issued a 72-hour deadline on Tuesday, asking the Japanese government to pay a ransom of $200 million to save the duo from execution.
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 02:19:06 +0000
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