The Islamic State has reportedly released a new video claiming that
one of two Japanese hostages has been beheaded. While the Japanese
government works to confirm its authenticity, at least one militant
claims the message is fake.
VPC
In the video, Japanese freelance journalist Kenji Goto holds a photo that purportedly shows the dead body of the second hostage, Haruna Yukawa. SITE Intelligence Group, a U.S.-based organization that monitors extremist websites, said the video had been distributed across several Islamic State-linked Twitter accounts.
The Japanese government said it is seeking to verify the video.
"Fully aware of unbearable pain and sorrow that his family must be feeling, I am simply left speechless," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said after a late-night Cabinet meeting. "Such act of terrorism is outrageous and impermissible, which causes me nothing but strong indignation. Thus I express resolute condemnation."
The video could not be independently verified. SITE has reported on several Islamic State videos in the past that proved authentic. Kyodo News agency reported the same video had been e-mailed to the wife of one of the hostages.
Saturday afternoon, President Obama demanded the immediate release of Goto and all other remaining hostages. "We stand shoulder to shoulder with our ally Japan and applaud its commitment to peace and development in a region far from its shores," Obama said in a statement. "We will work together to bring the perpetrators of these murders to justice and will continue to take decisive action to degrade and ultimately defeat ISIL."
Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel added his condemnation and condolences. "ISIL's inhumanity stands in sharp contrast to the generous humanitarian aid Japan has provided to the Iraqi and Syrian people in recent months, and their continued barbarism only serves to strengthen our global coalition's shared resolve to degrade and ultimately destroy ISIL," Hagel said.
Still, Patrick Ventrell, deputy spokesman for the U.S. National Security Council, said the intelligence community "is working to confirm its authenticity."
He said the U.S. strongly condemns Islamic State for its actions and called for the release of all remaining hostages. "The United States is fully supportive of Japan in this matter," he said. "We stand in solidarity with Japan and are coordinating closely."
The release of the video sparked claims and counterclaims on terrorist-related websites. It was notably different from previous videos in that it depicted a static shot of Goto holding a photo while the audio played. It did not show him speaking or moving.
One militant on an Islamic State-affiliated website warned that Saturday's new message was fake, while another said that the message was intended to go only to the Japanese journalist's family.
A third militant noted the video was not issued by al-Furqan, which is one of the media arms of the Islamic State group that has issued past videos involving hostages and beheadings. Saturday's message did not bear al-Furqan's logo.
The militants on the website post comments using pseudonyms, so their identities could not be independently confirmed. However, their confusion over the video matched that of Japanese officials and outside observers.
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