IS claims beheading of second Japanese captive

The Islamic State group claimed in a video released late Saturday that it has beheaded a second Japanese hostage, drawing international condemnation and outrage from a visibly upset Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who denounced it as a "heinous and despicable" act.

The apparent killing of 47-year-old Kenji Goto – the second beheading of a Japanese hostage in a week – was announced in a video released online that included no mention of a Jordanian pilot also being held by IS, whom the group has threatened to kill.

Japan’s government said it was "highly probable" that the man in the video was Goto, though Tokyo says it is still working to confirm the video's authenticity.

The Jordanian government, which had been negotiating the release of Goto along with a Jordanian pilot held by IS also condemned the execution.

Government spokesman Mohammad al-Momani said in a statement released on the state-owned Petra news agency that Jordan had spared no effort to save the life of the Japanese hostage and secure his release, and had been in constant contact with the government of Japan.

Momani stressed that IS had rejected all attempts by the competent authorities to secure the release of the Japanese hostage, which, he said, proved the group’s "keenness on terrorism and murder".

Goto, a freelance journalist, is seen in an orange outfit – similar to those worn by Guantanamo Bay inmates – kneeling next to a standing masked man who speaks with a British accent and blames the Japanese government for his "slaughter".

The man, dressed head-to-toe in black with his face covered, appears to be the same IS militant, dubbed Jihadi John, who has featured in the group's previous execution videos.

The executioner addresses Abe, saying the murder was the result of "reckless" decisions by the Japanese government and would mark the beginning of "the nightmare for Japan".

The brief video ends with the image of a body dressed in orange with a decapitated head on top of it.

Abe vowed to "never forgive terrorists" after news of the video broke early Sunday morning in Japan.

"I am extremely angry about these heinous and despicable terrorist acts. We will never forgive terrorists," the premier, who appeared on the verge of tears, told reporters.

"We will cooperate with the international community to make them atone for their crimes."

Goto's distraught mother said she had been left speechless.

"I can't find the words to describe how I feel about my son's very sad death," a sobbing Junko Ishido told reporters.

US President Barack Obama led international condemnation of the "heinous murder".

"Through his reporting, Mr Goto courageously sought to convey the plight of the Syrian people to the outside world," Obama said.

"The United States strongly condemns ISIL's actions and we call for the immediate release of all the remaining hostages. We stand in solidarity with our ally Japan," the Associated Press quoted Bernadette Meehan, a spokeswoman for the White House's National Security Council, as saying, using an alternate acronym for the group.

A spokesman for UN chief Ban Ki-moon also condemned the "barbaric murder", and said the death "underscores the violence that so many have been subjected to in Iraq and Syria".

Negotiations 'deadlocked'

Tokyo and Washington said they were working to confirm the video's authenticity.

"After an extensive review, we believe it's highly probable" it is real, government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said in response to a reporter's question.

The apparent execution came after Japan said negotiations to win Goto's release in a prisoner exchange had stalled.

IS had vowed to kill Goto and Jordanian pilot Maaz al-Kassasbeh by sunset Thursday unless Amman handed over an Iraqi female inmate convicted of plotting suicide bombings in Jordan.

On Saturday morning Abe had renewed orders for officials to maintain close cooperation with Jordan in a bid to secure Goto's release.

"The government has been working with the utmost efforts on the issue - I deeply regret that this is the result," Abe told reporters on Sunday.

Last week IS claimed responsibility for the beheading of another Japanese man it had been holding, self-described contractor Haruna Yukawa, after the expiration of a 72-hour deadline during which the jihadists had asked Tokyo to pay a $200 million ransom.

Jordan has demanded evidence that its pilot, who crashed in Syria on December 24, was still alive before freeing would-be suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi, who is on death row.

The latest video made no mention of Kassasbeh's fate.

'Proof of life'

Jordan has offered to free Rishawi, who was convicted for her part in triple-hotel bombings in Amman in 2005 that killed 60 people, if IS releases the pilot.

The government has been under heavy pressure at home and from Japan – a major aid donor – to save Kassasbeh as well as Goto.

On Thursday, Momani said Rishawi was still in Jordan and would only be released if IS gave it "proof of life".

IS had set the Thursday sunset deadline for Rishawi to be released at the Turkish border in return for Goto but there was no news of a swap by nightfall.

Today, Momani stressed that the Jordanian government would continue its efforts to secure proof that Kassasbeh is alive and safe, and to secure his release and return.

The pilot's father Safi Kassasbeh begged Amman to save his son's life "at any price".

"We believe in God and we will accept whatever he has in store for us," he said.

Rishawi, an Iraqi national, has been in detention since 2005, when she was implicated in the November 9 Amman hotel bombings that killed 60, including three suicide bombers.

She was meant to be the fourth, but her bomb failed to detonate.