A video surfaced Saturday that allegedly shows the Islamic State militants beheading the Japanese journalist that they had held hostage.
The militants in the video donned the symbols of the Islamic State worn in the other videos, but it has not been confirmed authentic, according to USA Today. The video shows a masked militant in black holding a knife while Kenji Goto knelt before him. Before they beheaded Goto, the militant speaking in a British accent delivered a message to the Japanese government.
"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," the militant said.
He also spoke directly to the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe. The militant said that Goto's death symbolized what would come to the Japanese people wherever ISIS would find them.
The video did not mention the other hostage, Jordanian pilot Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, according to ABC7 News. Goto was captured in October after he traveled to Syria to try to get Haruna Yukawa released. Yukawa was reportedly killed earlier, but the video has yet to be confirmed. Al-Kaseasbeh was captured in December in Syria after his fighter jet crashed.
The militants threatened to kill Goto and Yukawa in 72 hours last week if the Japanese government did not pay them $200 million. Jordan and Japan directly negotiated with the militants through Iraqi tribal leaders. Jordan has offered to release al-Rishawi, a woman on death row for participating in the bombing of the Amman hotel in 2005, in exchange for al-Kaseasbeh, USA Today reported.
