BREAKING: ISIS To Release Statement ‘Soon’ on Japanese Hostages Held For Ransom

By
T. Grant Benson
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The Islamic State group will release a statement “soon” on the two Japanese hostages it has captured and is threatening to execute unless a ransom is paid, a spokesman for the armed group told NHK Thursday night.

In an online report uploaded shortly before 6 a.m. Friday, NHK said it got in contact with the Islamic State official via Internet voice and text messages.

 

The threat comes in a newly released propaganda video, identified as being made by the Islamic State group’s al-Furqan media branch.

The footage shows two Japanese hostages identified by militants as Kenji Goto Jogo and Haruna Yukawa.

The video features one militant, presumed to be British citizen “Jihadi John,” threating to the two hostages unless a $200 million ransom is received within the next 72 hours.

The militant also directly addressed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, scorning Japan’s recent contribution of $200 million to the efforts to eradicate the Islamic State.

Japanese officials had no comment on the video, according to the AP.

Haruna Yukawa is a private military company operator.  A Japanese citizen, believed to be Yukawa, was kidnapped in Syria in August. According to a blog post of his own, Yukawa travelled to Syria to train with militants.

Kenji Goto Jogo, currently being held hostage, is a respected freelance journalist. He traveled to Syria last year to document the civil war.

This is the first time the Islamic State group has threatened the Japanese. It has beheaded other Western hostages it has held.

ISIS currently holds a third of both Iraq and Syria. A U.S.-led coalition is now targeting the extremists in airstrikes.

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