Race against time to save life of Jordanian pilot: Country STILL ready to carry out swap deal after Jihadi John ‘beheads’ Japanese captive
- Jordanian pilot Mu'adh al-Kaseasbeh, 26, is thought to still be alive
- ISIS video released last night allegedly show beheading of Kenji Goto
- Terror group had been trying to exchange Goto for Jordanian prisoner
- In new video fighter tells camera 'we have an entire army thirsty for blood'
- Mr Goto's body is then shown lying on desert floor in rocky gorge
- There was no mention of Mr al-Kaseasbeh in last night's ISIS video
- His family are now demanding Jordanian government take action
- Japanese PM Shinzo Abe said he will 'never forgive' killing of hostages
Jordan said on Friday that it will only release Sajida Mubarak Atrous al-Rishawi, a failed suicide bomber currently on death row, if it gets proof Mr al-Kaseasbeh is alive.
Mr al-Momeni also condemned the murder of Japanese journalist Mr Goto after days of intensive efforts through intermediaries to save him.
'We spared no effort, in coordination with the Japanese government, to save his life,' Momeni said.
There was no mention of Mr al-Kaseasbeh in last night's video, and the Jordanian government have said they will only release death row prisoner Sajida Mubarak Atrous al-Rishawi if they get proof he is still alive
Exchange: The Jordanian government has said they will only release failed suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi, who is on death row in Jordan, if it gets proof Mr al-Kaseasbeh is alive
Mr al-Kaseasbeh's father, Safi al-Kassasbeh, today denounced the killing of Mr Goto saying the Jordanian 'government is responsible' for his son's fate.
Members of the al-Kaseasbeh tribe held a candlelight vigil in his home town of Karak, Jordan on Saturday, carrying posters with 'we are all Mu'adh,' written in Arabic.
An uncle of the pilot, Yassin Rawashda, said early Sunday that 'we want the government to tell us the truth.' He says the family also wants to know which direction negotiations are headed.
The government is also under domestic pressure to win the release of Mr al-Kaseasbeh, the first foreign pilot to be captured by ISIS since a U.S.-led military coalition began carrying out air strikes in Iraq and Syria in September.
Hostage: The fate of Jordanian pilot Mu'adh al-Kasasibah, is still unknown
Since his capture, there have been several protests in Jordan questioning the country's involvement in the fight against ISIS.
Last Saturday an audio recording emerged purporting to be of Mr Goto explaining that Mr Yukawa had been killed, and again pleading for his release.
The voice claimed that ISIS had changed its demands, asking the Jordanian government for the release of al-Rishawi and threatening to kill Mr al-Kaseasbeh.
There was no mention of the fate of Mr al-Kaseasbeh in last night's footage, and Jordan has previously threatened to kill all of its ISIS hostages if he is harmed.
Jordan's government spokesman, Mohammed al-Momani, declined comment late Saturday on the video of Mr Goto's purported beheading.
The video seems to show the 46-year-old freelance journalist being beheaded by the ISIS militant fighter known as Jihadi John.
The 1 minute and 7 second clip shows Mr Goto kneeling in a rocky gorge while the masked murderer delivers a scripted message to the camera.
The killer then lowers his knife and the footage goes black, as is common in ISIS propaganda films. When the footage begins again Mr Goto's body is shown lying on the desert floor.
The fighter, who has a British accent, says: 'To the Japanese government: You, like your foolish allies in the Satanic coalition, have yet to understand that we, by Allah's grace, are an Islamic Caliphate with authority and power, an entire army thirsty for your blood.
'(Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo) Abe, because of your reckless decision to take part in an unwinnable war, this knife will not only slaughter Kenji, but will also carry on and cause carnage wherever your people are found.
'So let the nightmare for Japan begin.'
Threats: Ahead of the supposed beheading of Mr Goto, the fighter known as Jihadi John said ISIS had 'authority and power, an entire army thirsty for your blood'
The 1 minute 7 second clip appears to show Mr Goto kneeling in a rocky gorge. A man appearing to be Jihadi John delivers a scripted message before the video cuts out. When it comes back, Mr Goto's body is shown
The footage, which was released by the media arm of Islamic State, was entitled 'a message to the government of Japan', and in the footage Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was blamed for the killing
The footage has appeared just a day after Japan's deputy foreign minister, Yasuhide Nakayama, told journalists that negotiations for Mr Goto's release were 'in a state of deadlock'.
Tonight the Japanese government has strongly condemned the apparent killing.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said: 'I cannot help feeling strong indignation that an inhuman and despicable act of terrorism like this has been committed again.'
Japanese authorities have said the video is most likely genuine. A statement from a cabinet meeting of senior politicians said the footage 'has a high degree of credibility.'
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe added: 'I feel strong indignation at this inhumane and contemptible act of terrorism. I will never forgive these terrorists.'
'Japan will work with the international community to bring those responsible for this crime to justice,' he said, reiterating that Japan would not give in to terrorism.
Mr Goto's mother and brother have both paid tribute to the war correspondent this evening.
'I was hoping Kenji would come back alive to thank everyone who had supported him,' Goto's brother Junichi Goto, told broadcaster NHK TV. 'I am filled with sadness he couldn't do it.'
Goto's mother, Junko Ishido, told NHK TV her son's death showed he was a kind gentle man, trying to save another hostage.
Mr Goto, a war correspondent with experience of reporting from Middle East conflict zones, went missing in October last year as he went to help fellow Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa
Mr Goto was last heard from a week ago, when an audio clip emerged claiming to be by him, saying Mr Yukawa had been killed and asking for failed suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi to be released
On Saturday, President Barack Obama led global condemnation of the apparent slaying, deeming it a 'heinous murder' and saying the US stands in solidarity with Japan against the 'barbaric act'.
In a statement, Obama called Goto courageous and said America applauds Japan's steadfast commitment to advancing peace and prosperity in the Middle East as well as around the world.
Also on Saturday, Andreas Kreig, assistant professor for defence studies at King's College London, told MailOnline that he believes the footage is genuine.
We are an Islamic Caliphate with... an entire army thirsty for your blood
Killer in latest ISIS video
He said: 'The technology that is used to film, they way the shots are cut, the way the footage transitions from one shot to the next, this is all things we have seen before in ISIS videos.'
Anthony Glees, Professor of Security Studies at Buckingham University, added: 'This kind of video still has the power to shock.
'It's particularly shocking because in this case everyone had a sense that Mr Goto may be released, as would the Jordanian pilot.'
Last night ISIS tweeted to say they were going to give King Abdullah, the deceased ruler of Saudi Arabia, a present on what would have been his 91st birthday.
Last night terror expert Shiraz Maher, who works for King's College London, tweeted the message, and added: 'I suspect, sadly, we'll see hostage videos released soon.'
Not bowing down: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe addressed the video outside his official residence in Tokyo, early this morning, saying he will never forgive the murders of the Japanese hostages
Grief: Kenji Goto's parents, Yukio and Junko Ishido speak to reporters outside their Tokyo home following the release of the video purportedly showing the beheading of their son
Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Yasuhide Nakayama was pictured leaving Jordan this evening in a car convoy after footage emerged claiming to show the beheading of Japanese ISIS hostage Kenji Goto
Japanese Cabinet Chief Secretary Yoshihide Suga has condemned the attack, while Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has reiterated that Japan will never bow to terrorists
Asked whether he had been expecting ISIS to release footage this evening, Dr Kreid added: 'We had not been expecting anything, but something had to happen, because ISIS had issued an ultimatum that was not met.'
Mr Goto first appeared in an ISIS propaganda video a week ago alongside fellow Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa, 42.
ISIS demanded $200million for the release of both of the men, the same amount the Japnese government pledged to help fight the organisation.
The Japanese government has said it is currently trying to verify the footage, which was distributed by ISIS' propaganda arm al-Furqan Media Foundation.
Mr Goto, 47, a war correspondent with experience in Middle East hot spots, went to Syria in late October to try to help release Mr Yukawa, who was captured in July.
Mr Yukawa's arrival in the Middle East followed a number of difficult years, which appeared to begin in 2005, when his business failed, leaving him in debt and, at one point, reportedly homeless.
The Japnese government has previously condemned ISIS' threats against Mr Yukawa and Mr Goto, while stating that they will not cooperate with terrorists.
After news of Mr Yukawa's killing spread, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said: 'Considering the unbearable pain and sorrow that his family must be feeling, I am speechless.
'Such act of terrorism is outrageous and impermissible, it causes me nothing but strong indignation. I condemn it strongly and resolutely.'
If Mr Goto's death is confirmed, then he will join a list of other victims, including Haruna Yukawa (left). British aid workers David Haines (centre), and Alan Henning (right) have also been murdered
US journalist James Foley (left) was the first to appear alongside Jihadi John in one of the sickening videos, followed by Steven Sotloff (centre. Aid worker Peter Kassig (right) is also dead
U.S. officials said they were trying to confirm the authenticity of the video.
Bernadette Meehan, a spokesman for the White House's National Security Council, said: 'We have seen the video purporting to show that Japanese citizen Kenji Goto has been murdered by the terrorist group ISIL.
'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.'
Junko Ishido, Mr Goto's mother, has previously issued a tearful appeal for her son to be released.
Speaking at a press conference last week, she said: 'I say to you people of the Islamic State, Kenji is not your enemy. Please release him.
'Kenji was always saying 'I hope to save lives of children on battlefields'. He was reporting war from a neutral position.'
Mr Gotos' death, if confirmed, adds to a long list of foreign hostages that have apparently been killed by Jihadi John, including Harnua Yukawa.
The list of victims also includes British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and aid worker Peter Kassig.
