Sunday Times 2
Japan verifying video claiming hostage death
View(s):TOKYO, Jan 24, (AFP) – Japan’s government said today it was attempting to verify a video posted online announcing the execution of one of two Japanese hostages held captive by Islamic State militants.
“A new video apparently showing Kenji (Goto) was posted on the Internet,” chief government spokesman Yoshihide Suga said. “We are collecting information”.
In the video, Goto appears to be alive. The government however is checking the video for images suggesting that the second hostage, Haruna Yukawa, has been killed by his captors.
The video was not posted on any of the jihadist group’s official channels. It also does not bear the IS group’s black and white flag, nor is the purported execution of Haruna Yukawa shown live.
Several supporters of the IS on social media channels have contested the veracity of the video, while Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said negotiations for the two men’s release are still ongoing.