The Islamic State claimed on Friday that a female American hostage was killed during Jordanian revenge airstrikes against the terrorist organization in Syria, but according to officials in Washington and Jordan, there is no evidence to support such claims.
ISIS militants claimed that the hostage was killed after rubble of a building was brought down by a Jordanian airstrike during the mid-day Muslim prayers near the city of Raqqa, the militant stronghold in northern Syria, according to a tweet from an ISIS-linked group, which also carried a photo of a bombed-out three-story building.
"The failed Jordanian aircraft killed an American female hostage," said the message. "No mujahid (fighter) was injured in the bombardment, and all praise is due to Allah."
The victim was identified as 26-year-old Kayla Jean Mueller, a humanitarian aid worker who had been captured in the city of Aleppo in 2013, USA Today reported. Although Mueller's identity had been kept a secret for her own protection, the Arizona native's safe return had reportedly been priced at $6.6 million.
On Friday, Mueller's family requested the media to "cautiously report" on her background and work and "limit speculation on her situation and consider the implications for her security before publishing."
However for now, neither the National Security Council nor the U.S. Central Command has seen any evidence to corroborate the terror group's claims, White House spokesman Eric Schulz said.
"I can assure you our intelligence community is looking into it," he said, noting the information was just "a few hours old."
Additionally, Jordan's military has a high level of confidence that the hostage was not killed by a Jordanian airstrike, a Jordanian government official told USA Today, without providing additional details.
Citing the terror group's deception earlier this week, the official recalled how ISIS had claimed Jordanian pilot Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh to be alive even though he had been killed nearly a month earlier, New York Daily News reported.
"They tried to cause problems internally in Jordan and haven't succeeded," Jordanian Interior Minister Hussein Majali said, according to CNN. "They are now trying to drive a wedge between the coalition with this latest low PR stunt."
Jordan is part of a U.S.-led coalition targeting ISIS outposts in Syria. The attacks were stepped up after Tuesday's release of a video showing the flaming death of al-Kasabeh.
Meanwhile, Mueller is the last known remaining American hostage held by the group. Last year, ISIS beheaded three Americans: journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff and aid worker Peter Kassig.
