Video: Islamic State group threatens to kill Japan hostages
Source: AP
CAIRO (AP) — An online video released Tuesday purported to show the Islamic State group threatening to kill two Japanese hostages unless they receive a $200 million ransom in the next 72 hours.
The video, identified as being made by the Islamic State group's al-Furqan media arm and posted on militant websites associated with the extremist group, mirrored other hostage threats it has made. The militant in it also directly addresses Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, now on a six-day visit to the Middle East with more than 100 government officials and presidents of Japanese companies.
"To the prime minister of Japan: Although you are more than 8,000 and 500 kilometers (5,280 miles) from the Islamic State, you willingly have volunteered to take part in this crusade," says the knife-brandishing militant in the video, who resembles and sounds like a British militant involved in other filmed beheadings by the Islamic State group. "You have proudly donated $100 million to kill our women and children, to destroy the homes of the Muslims."
The video shows two hostages in orange jumpsuits that the militants identify as Kenji Goto Jogo and Haruna Yukawa. Japan's Foreign Ministry's anti-terrorism section has seen the video and analysts are assessing it, a ministry official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of department rules. Abe was to appear at a news conference later Tuesday in Jerusalem.
Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/c55c9fb64ed9401a9e1fdc4bbe2f90a8/video-islamic-state-group-threatens-kill-japan-hostages
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I've got loved ones in Japan. Please don't push the Japanese into this hateful terrorism bunghole. They haven't provoked these awful people.
Dammitalltohell!!!
