The Islamic State group released a video earlier today which supposedly shows the Jordanian pilot captured in December being burned alive.
The video released online showed images of a man purported to be Maaz al Kassasbeh wreathed in flames while trapped inside a metal cage.
Kassasbeh was captured on December 24 after his F-16 jet crashed during a a mission over northern Syria as part of the US-led coalition campaign against the militants.
The well directed and produced 22-minute video shows footage of Kassasbeh sitting at a table discussing coalition operations against IS, with flags from the various Western and Arab countries in the alliance projected in the background.
It then shows Kassasbeh dressed in an orange jumpsuit and surrounded by armed and masked IS fighters in camouflage. It cuts to him standing inside the cage and apparently doused in petrol before he is burned alive.
Arguably the world#s most dapraved terror outfit had threatened to kill Kassasbeh unless Jordan handed over a jailed Iraqi female suicide bomber.
The release of the video of the pilot’s purported murder came days after IS beheaded a second Japanese hostage within a week.
IS had vowed to kill the second Japanese man, Kenji Goto, and (newly married) Kassasbeh by sunset on January 29 unless Amman handed over Iraqi extremist and would-be suicide bomber Sajida al Rishawi, who is on death row in Jordan.
However, Jordanian state TV claimed that the pilot was killed one month ago.
Also read: Jordanian govt. willing to free suicide bomber to release pilot