Wednesday, 4 February 2015
Jordanian pilot burned alive, ISIS claims in video
A new video believed to be from the Islamic State purports to show the killing of the captive Jordanian pilot Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh.
In the video, a man who the militants say is al-Kaseasbeh is burned alive in a cage while wearing an orange jumpsuit.
It is the ISIS militants' "most barbaric video yet," according to Rita Katz, director and co-founder of the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks the militants online.
The highly stylized video, called "Healing of the Believers' Chests," is 22 minutes long — longer than other videos released by the group.
Image: SITE Intelligence Group
He appears to be doused in a flammable liquid.
The footage then cuts to al-Kaseasbeh standing in a cage behind bars. A masked man lights a line of flammable material that appears to then ignite the pilot.
Mashable has not independently confirmed the authenticity of the video. At certain points in the video, the flames appear digitally enhanced. Toward the end of video, the victim collapses before a backhoe drops rubble and sand on his remains.
The Jordanian government confirmed the death of the pilot on Tuesday.
In Jordan, people reacted to the news of the pilot's killing with sadness and anger.
President Barack Obama called the video "one more indication of the viciousness and barbarity of this organization," in a reference to ISIS. "Whatever ideology they're operating off of, it's bankrupt...this organization appears only interested in death and destruction."
“This organization appears interested in only death and destruction.”
Al-Kaseasbeh was captured in December when his F-16 crashed near Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State group. The militants control about a third of both Syria and neighboring Iraq in a self-declared caliphate.
Jordan, a staunch Western ally, is part of a U.S.-led military coalition that has carried out airstrikes against Islamic State group targets since September.
The country had been conducting indirect, behind-the-scenes negotiations through tribal leaders in neighboring Iraq, according to the Associated Press.
Jordan offered to release an al-Qaida prisoner from death row in exchange for the pilot, but the militants didn't say if they were considering such a deal. The talks collapsed last week, and a Japanese journalist, Kenji Goto, who was held with al-Kaseasbeh was beheaded.
On Tuesday, Jordanian state television reportedly suggested that the pilot was killed as early as Jan. 3.
There were reports that Jordan's King Abdullah, who is visiting the U.S. this week, will cut short his visit to Washington and return to Amman.
The National Security Council put out a statement on Tuesday, saying: "We are aware of the video purporting to show that Jordanian 1st Lieutenant Moaz al-Kasasbeh has been murdered by the terrorist group ISIL. The intelligence community is working to confirm its authenticity. The United States strongly condemns ISIL’s actions and we call for the immediate release of all those held captive by ISIL. We stand in solidarity with the Government of Jordan and the Jordanian people."
The video was released just as Secretary of State John Kerry and Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh signed a memorandum of understanding of assistance, which highlights U.S. plans to increase aid to Jordan from $660 million to $1 billion per year, as well as support various regional security needs.
The video was released on militant websites and bore the logo of the extremist group's al-Furqan media service.
Some information in this report was provided by the Associated Press.
