Islamic State (Isis)
has released a video purportedly showing the beheading of the Japanese
journalist Kenji Goto and containing a warning that Japan is now a
target for the militants.
The video, called A Message to the Government of Japan, showed a militant who looked and sounded like a man with a British accent who has taken part in other Isis beheadings.
The man, armed with a knife and dressed head-to-toe in black with his face covered, stands behind Goto before beheading him.
Goto, kneeling in an orange prison jumpsuit, said nothing in the
video, which lasts about a minute. No mention was made of Muath
al-Kasasbeh, a Jordanian pilot who was seized by Isis after his jet
crashed in north-east Syria in December during a bombing mission against
the Islamist insurgents.
Japan immediately condemned the apparent execution of Goto after days of attempts to secure his release.
Speaking soon after the video went online early on Sunday morning,
the prime minister, Shinzo Abe, said Japan would not give in to
terrorism but would work with the international community to bring
Goto’s killers to justice.
The chief cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, described Goto’s apparent murder as “despicable”.
“I cannot help feeling strong indignation that an inhuman and
despicable act of terrorism like this has been committed again,” Suga
said. “We resolutely condemn this.”
Suga said officials were trying to verify the video’s authenticity,
adding that cabinet ministers would meet to discuss the government’s
response.
The US also condemned Goto’s apparent beheading. Barack Obama said:
“Standing together with a broad coalition of allies and partners, the
United States will continue taking decisive action to degrade and
ultimately destroy Isil [Isis].”
The British prime minister, David Cameron, described the killing as
“despicable and appalling” and added: “Britain stands united with Japan
at this tragic time and we will do all we can to hunt down these
murderers and bring them to justice, however long it takes.
“I welcome Prime Minister Abe’s steadfast commitment to continue
Japan’s active role, working with international partners, to secure
peace, stability and prosperity in the Middle East. The humanitarian aid
they are providing in the region is a vital part of helping the local
communities that are being persecuted by the same Isil terrorists who
murdered our innocent men.”
Isis had offered to release Goto in exchange for Sajida al-Rishawi,
an Iraqi terrorist who faces execution for her part in suicide bombings
in Jordan in 2005.
An audio message purportedly from Goto earlier this week said
Kasasbeh would be killed if Jordan did not free Rishawi, whose device
failed to detonate during a string of suicide bombings that killed 60
people.
Negotiations conducted with the help of local tribal leaders became
deadlocked, however, after Jordan insisted on seeing proof that Kasasbeh
was still alive before releasing Rishawi, and that the pilot also be
part of any prisoner swap.
In the latest Isis video, a Jihadi with a British accent issues a
chilling warning to Abe, who has publicly backed coalition strikes
against Isis and recently pledged $200m (£130m) in non-military aid to
the campaign.
Addressing Abe, the militant says: “Because of your reckless decision
to take part in an unwinnable war, this knife will not only slaughter
Kenji but will also carry on and cause carnage wherever your people are
found. So let the nightmare for Japan begin.”
The video, released on militant websites on Saturday night, bore the symbol of the Islamic State group’s al-Furqan media arm.
Though it could not be immediately verified, it conformed to other
beheading videos released by Isis, which controls a third of both Syria
and neighbouring Iraq in its self-declared caliphate.
Goto, 47, a veteran war correspondent, was captured in October after
he travelled to Syria to try to win the release of Haruna Yukawa, a
self-styled security consultant whom Goto had met in Syria last April.
Yukawa, 42, was reportedly beheaded last weekend.
Japan’s hostage crisis began almost two weeks ago after militants
threatened to kill Goto and Yukawa in 72 hours unless Japan paid $200m –
the same sum Abe had pledged to countries affected by the war against
Isis.
Japan does not have any military involvement in the campaign against
Isis and has stressed in recent days that the assistance was purely
humanitarian.
Japanese PM condemns the video posted online of Kenji Goto
5 hours ago
Japan
has strongly condemned the posting online of a video purporting to show
the beheading of the Japanese journalist Kenji Goto.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan would never give in to terrorism.
He
said Japan would work with the international community to bring those
responsible for Kenji Goto's apparent murder to justice.
Kenji Goto is a well-known freelance journalist and film-maker
A video has been released online purporting to show the beheading of Japanese hostage Kenji Goto by Islamic State militants.
The video comes less than a week after news of the beheading of another Japanese man, Haruna Yukawa.
Mr Goto, 47, is a well-known freelance journalist and
film-maker who went to Syria in October, reportedly to try to secure Mr
Yukawa's release.
Japan, as well as the US, UK and France, has condemned the killing.
The video, which bears the same symbols as previous IS videos, shows a militant with a British accent beheading Mr Goto.
Japanese government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said Japan was
"outraged" by the video, adding that the cabinet was meeting to decide a
response to it.
Rupert Wingfield-Hayes: "The Japanese PM has taken a very tough line"
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Japan "would not give in to terrorism" and said he would increase aid to the Middle East.
He added Japan would work with the international community to
bring those responsible for Kenji Goto's apparent murder to justice.
Mr Goto's mother Junko Ishido said she "can't find the words"
to describe his death, saying he had gone to Syria out of "kindness and
courage".
His brother Junichi told Japanese broadcaster NHK TV: "I was
hoping Kenji would come back alive to thank everyone who had supported
him."
"I am filled with sadness he couldn't do it.''
Sunset deadline
President Obama said in a statement the US condemns "the heinous murder" of Mr Goto.
Britain and France have also condemned the apparent killing.
The news left Mr Goto's mother Junko Ishido distraught
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the country would not give in to terror
UK Prime Minister David Cameron called IS "the embodiment of evil, with no regard for human life".
Japanese officials had been working with Jordan to secure the
release of Mr Goto and a Jordanian pilot, Moaz al-Kasasbeh, who was
shot down over Syria in December.
However, earlier on Saturday they said negotiations had become deadlocked.
An IS video released on Tuesday said Mr Goto had "only 24 hours left to live" and Mr Kasasbeh "even less".
There is no further word on Jordanian pilot, Moaz al-Kasasbeh, also seized by IS
They later gave a deadline of sunset on Thursday for a deal by
which Mr Goto would be freed in return for Jordan releasing captured
Iraqi militant Sajida al-Rishawi.
But the deal may have been complicated by Jordan's demand that Mr Kasasbeh also be released.
The latest video gave no mention of Mr Kasasbeh's fate: his family said they were praying he was safe.
IS had initially demanded a $200m (£130m) ransom for the two Japanese hostages.
इस्लामिक स्टेट ने जापानी पत्रकार का सिर कलम किया, दुनिया भर में निंदा
आईएस के कब्जे में जापानी पत्रकार केंजी गोतो
ओमान (जॉर्डन):
इस्लामिक स्टेट के आतंकियों ने बंधक बनाए गए जापानी पत्रकार का सिर कलम कर
दिया है। इस घटना से आक्रोशित जापान के प्रधानमंत्री शिंजो आबे ने इसके
लिए आतंकवादियों को कभी माफ नहीं करने का संकल्प लिया है।
इस्लामिक स्टेट (आईएस) आतंकवादी समूह की वेबसाइट पर बीती रात जारी किए गए
एक वीडियो में आतंकियों को जापानी पत्रकार केंजी गोतो का सिर कलम करते हुए
दिखाया गया है।
अमेरिका सहित विभिन्न देशों ने घटना की कड़ी निंदा की है। टोक्यो में
प्रधानमंत्री शिंजो आबे ने इस घटना पर प्रतिक्रिया जाहिर करते हुए कहा, मैं
इस जघन्य और कुत्सित आतंकवादी कार्रवाई से बेहद आक्रोशित हूं। हम
आतंकवादियों को कभी माफ नहीं करेंगे।
जापानी पीएम ने कहा, उन्हें उनके अपराधों की सजा दिलाने के लिए हम
अंतरराष्ट्रीय समुदाय के साथ सहयोग करेंगे। जारी किए गए वीडियो में जॉर्डन
के पायलट का कोई जिक्र नहीं है, जिसे आईएस ने बंधक बना रखा है और उसे भी
जान से मारने की धमकी दी गई थी। वीडियो में गोतो को एक नकाबपोश व्यक्ति के
करीब घुटने के बल बैठे दिखाया गया है, जो ब्रिटिश लहजे में बात कर रहा है
और पत्रकार की मौत के लिए जापान सरकार को जिम्मेदार ठहरा रहा है।
आबे ने कहा, जापान कभी आतंकवाद के सामने घुटने नहीं टेकेगा और आतंकवाद के
खिलाफ अंतरराष्ट्रीय समुदाय में अपनी जिम्मेदारी निभाने के लिए वह दृढ़ता
के साथ प्रतिबद्ध है।
वीडियो में आतंकवादी को यह कहते हुए सुना जा सकता है, "आबे, कभी न जीते जा
सकने वाले युद्ध में भाग लेने के आपके बेतुके फैसले के कारण यह व्यक्ति न
केवल केंजी का सिर कलम करेगा, बल्कि जहां भी आपके लोग मिलेंगे, उन्हें मौत
के घाट उतारा जाएगा। जापान के लिए यह तो शुरुआत है।"
वाशिंगटन में अमेरिकी राष्ट्रपति बराक ओबामा ने जापानी पत्रकार का सिर कलम
किए जाने की कड़ी निंदा करते हुए कहा कि उनका प्रशासन और सहयोगी आईएस को
खत्म करने के लिए निर्णायक कार्रवाई जारी रखेंगे। ओबामा ने एक बयान में
कहा, अमेरिका जापानी नागरिक और पत्रकार किंजो गोतो की जघन्य हत्या की निंदा
करता है।
विदेश मंत्री जॉन कैरी ने एक अलग बयान जारी कर जापानी बंधक की हत्या की
निंदा की और अमेरिका ने जापान के साथ पूरा सहयोग करने की प्रतिबद्धता जाहिर
की। पेरिस में फ्रांसीसी राष्ट्रपति फ्रांस्वा ओलांद ने कहा, इस नए संकट
के समय फ्रांस पूरी एकजुटता के साथ जापान के साथ खड़ा है और जापान तथा
फ्रांस मध्य एशिया में शांति बहाली के लिए मिलकर काम करते रहेंगे।
