Islamic State released a video on Tuesday in which it threatened to kill two Japanese hostages unless they receive a ransom of $200 million in the next 72 hours, according to Lebanon's The Daily Star.
ISIS's al-Furqan media arm has been identified as the producer of the video and it has many of the same threats made in previous jihadist videos released by the terror group. The masked man brandishing the knife between two men in orange jumpsuits has the same British accent as the man in beheading videos by ISIS.
"You now have 72 hours to pressure your government into making a wise decision by paying the $200 million to save the lives of your citizens," the captor in the video said, according to New Zealand's 3 News.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was directly addressed in the video. He is currently on a six-day visit to the Middle East.
The man in the video said: "To the prime minister of Japan: Although you are more than 8,000 and 500 kilometers from the Islamic State, you willingly have volunteered to take part in this crusade. You have proudly donated $100 million to kill our women and children, to destroy the homes of the Muslims."
The two hostages have been identified by Islamic State as private military company operator Kenji Goto Jogo and freelance journalist Haruna Yukawa. "The video contains threats to murder two people who appear to be Japanese nationals," chief government spokesperson Yoshihide Suga told a news conference in Tokyo. "We are checking if it's credible."
Uga said Abe is reorganizing his six-day trip to deal with the hostage situation, according to CNN. "The government of Japan will make maximum efforts for the early release of the Japanese citizens in cooperation with relevant countries," the ministry said, according to CNN.
"Taking people hostage is unforgivable and I feel strong anger," said Suga, according to The Daily Star. "The Japanese government is determined to do its best to secure the release of the Japanese as soon as possible."
