Mad Dogs
The 'mad dogs' of the Islamic State (IS) have carried out another sickening murder of a Japanese hostage, Kenji Goto.
While the international community has halted the advance of these religious fanatics through a campaign of air strikes, the only way to stop the carnage is for the countries in the region to move against and eliminate the Islamic State.
Because at the moment a sceptical world finds it difficult to believe that different branches of the Islamic faith can live together peacefully, while respecting the human rights of their Muslim and non-Muslim neighbours.
‘Beheading’ piles agony onto Japan
Isis threatens to kill second hostage
Michael Sheridan and Hala Jaber - The Sunday Times
Kenji Goto holds up pictures seemingly showing hostage Haruna Yukawa before and after his beheading
A JAPANESE journalist held by Islamist terrorists in Syria was heard pleading for his life in a video released last night that showed the beheaded corpse of his fellow hostage.
Kenji Goto, 47, a veteran television journalist, appealed to the Japanese government to exchange him for a failed female Iraqi suicide bomber.
The video, posted online on sites linked to Isis, shows a still picture of Goto holding two colour photographs of his fellow hostage, Haruna Yukawa, 42, whose life he had tried to save by travelling to Syria. Early today the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, confirmed that the video was genuine.
In one photo Yukawa is kneeling in a muddy field, wearing an orange shirt and trousers. In the other, Yukawa’s severed head lies on top of his torso.
Abe denounced the murder of Yukawa as “an outrageous and unacceptable act of violence” and said Japan was doing all it could to secure Goto’s release.
David Cameron called the killing “yet another reminder of the murderous barbarity of these terrorists”.
A JAPANESE journalist held by Islamist terrorists in Syria was heard pleading for his life in a video released last night that showed the beheaded corpse of his fellow hostage.
Kenji Goto, 47, a veteran television journalist, appealed to the Japanese government to exchange him for a failed female Iraqi suicide bomber.
The video, posted online on sites linked to Isis, shows a still picture of Goto holding two colour photographs of his fellow hostage, Haruna Yukawa, 42, whose life he had tried to save by travelling to Syria. Early today the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, confirmed that the video was genuine.
In one photo Yukawa is kneeling in a muddy field, wearing an orange shirt and trousers. In the other, Yukawa’s severed head lies on top of his torso.
Abe denounced the murder of Yukawa as “an outrageous and unacceptable act of violence” and said Japan was doing all it could to secure Goto’s release.
David Cameron called the killing “yet another reminder of the murderous barbarity of these terrorists”.
Kenji Goto is a veteran television journalist
Barack Obama, the American president, vowed to bring the killers to justice and take decisive action to defeat Isis, also known as Islamic State.
In the video, addressing Abe, Goto says in Japanese-accented English: “You have seen the photo of my cellmate Haruna slaughtered in the land of the Islamic caliphate.
“You were warned. You were given a deadline, and so my captors acted upon their words. Abe, you killed Haruna. You did not take the threats of my captors seriously.”
His voice then appears to break when he addresses his wife. “Rinko, my beloved wife, I love you and I miss my two daughters,” he says. “Please don’t let Abe do the same for my case. Don’t give up.”
Rinko gave birth to their second child two weeks before Goto travelled last October to the Isis stronghold in northern Syria in search of his friend.
Yukawa, described by the Japanese media as a disturbed individual, had vanished two months earlier after being seized by Isis.
It took the Japanese government several hours to confirm the authenticity of the recording.
Goto’s mother, Junko Ishido, said she prayed her son would return home soon, but was sceptical the voice in the video was his. “Kenji’s English is very good. He should sound more fluent,” she said.
In a video released on Tuesday a militant believed to be “Jihadi John” — a terrorist with a London accent who has appeared in other beheading videos — demanded a $200m (£133m) ransom for the release of the two men. He gave the Japanese government until Friday morning to comply.
Barack Obama, the American president, vowed to bring the killers to justice and take decisive action to defeat Isis, also known as Islamic State.
In the video, addressing Abe, Goto says in Japanese-accented English: “You have seen the photo of my cellmate Haruna slaughtered in the land of the Islamic caliphate.
“You were warned. You were given a deadline, and so my captors acted upon their words. Abe, you killed Haruna. You did not take the threats of my captors seriously.”
His voice then appears to break when he addresses his wife. “Rinko, my beloved wife, I love you and I miss my two daughters,” he says. “Please don’t let Abe do the same for my case. Don’t give up.”
Rinko gave birth to their second child two weeks before Goto travelled last October to the Isis stronghold in northern Syria in search of his friend.
Yukawa, described by the Japanese media as a disturbed individual, had vanished two months earlier after being seized by Isis.
It took the Japanese government several hours to confirm the authenticity of the recording.
Goto’s mother, Junko Ishido, said she prayed her son would return home soon, but was sceptical the voice in the video was his. “Kenji’s English is very good. He should sound more fluent,” she said.
In a video released on Tuesday a militant believed to be “Jihadi John” — a terrorist with a London accent who has appeared in other beheading videos — demanded a $200m (£133m) ransom for the release of the two men. He gave the Japanese government until Friday morning to comply.
The jihadists may now be seeking the release of hotel bomber Sajida al-Rishawi
The jihadists seemed to have picked the figure of $200m in response to a pledge by Abe on a tour of the Middle East last week to donate the same amount in humanitarian aid to countries affected by the violence in the region.
Last night’s recording suggested the group now instead wanted the release of Sajida al-Rishawi, who was sentenced to death for her role in the 2005 suicide bombing of the Radisson hotel in the Jordanian capital, Amman, that killed 38 people.
Rishawi was captured after her suicide belt failed to detonate. Her husband, a militant linked to al-Qaeda, died carrying out the attack.
The killing of Yukawa was the latest in a series of beheadings by the group. Their victims have included James Foley, an American journalist, murdered in August, and Alan Henning, a British aid worker, who died in October.
John Cantlie, a British photojournalist, is still held by the group and is forced to make propaganda videos.
Goto’s plea appeared designed to place maximum pressure on the Japanese government. But neither it nor its Jordanian counterpart looked likely to bow to the group’s demand.
The men’s disappearance was unknown to the Japanese public until the release of Tuesday’s video. It showed them kneeling in a desert, wearing orange clothes, next to a black-masked militant — believed to be “Jihadi John” — with a knife.
Within hours of its release, Japanese Twitter users were mocking the terrorist by creating and sharing images showing him using his knife to cut a kebab or replacing it with a banana.
Yukawa disappeared last August outside the Syrian city of Aleppo. His motive for travelling there, it emerged, was to put behind him personal troubles including the loss of his wife to cancer, and his own bankruptcy and suicide bid.
He claimed to have been a security consultant but did not appear to have found work as such. Japanese media suggested he believed himself to be the reincarnation of a cross-dressing Manchu princess who spied on Japan in the Second World War.
Goto is an experienced correspondent who has worked for Japanese broadcasters, including NHK, the equivalent of the BBC.
The two met in Syria last April and travelled together for a while. Goto eventually returned to Tokyo. His friend went back to Syria alone.
On learning of Yukawa’s abduction, Goto told Reuters news agency he felt haunted and wanted to help. He then contacted anti-government rebels in Aleppo to make arrangements for his quest.
He apparently believed that because Japan had not joined the military campaign against Isis, he would be able to gain the group’s co-operation. In a video recorded before his journey, Goto, who converted to Christianity in 1997, said: “Whatever happens this is my responsibility.”
Last night’s recording was not released through the usual “official” Isis channels. Twitter messages from known leading supporters of the group suggested it may have been released prematurely.
Experts pointed out discrepancies in Tuesday’s video that suggested the two hostages may have been filmed separately and the footage then spliced together.
Intelligence agencies will carefully examine the landscape in yesterday’s photo showing Yukawa’s decapitated body for clues to “Jihadi John’s” likely location.
Yukawa met his death in a grassy field, a contrast to the desert backdrop seen in videos of previous beheadings.
Rishawi’s release — though highly unlikely — would be a coup for Isis. Arrested after the Amman attack, she was shown confessing on Jordanian television, but later withdrew her confession.
David Cameron said Britain “stands in solidarity with the Japanese people”, adding: “Japan is right to refuse to bow to terrorism. Britain strongly supports the firm stance of Prime Minister Abe and his government.”
Additional reporting: Richard Kerbaj and Dipesh Gadher
The jihadists seemed to have picked the figure of $200m in response to a pledge by Abe on a tour of the Middle East last week to donate the same amount in humanitarian aid to countries affected by the violence in the region.
Last night’s recording suggested the group now instead wanted the release of Sajida al-Rishawi, who was sentenced to death for her role in the 2005 suicide bombing of the Radisson hotel in the Jordanian capital, Amman, that killed 38 people.
Rishawi was captured after her suicide belt failed to detonate. Her husband, a militant linked to al-Qaeda, died carrying out the attack.
The killing of Yukawa was the latest in a series of beheadings by the group. Their victims have included James Foley, an American journalist, murdered in August, and Alan Henning, a British aid worker, who died in October.
John Cantlie, a British photojournalist, is still held by the group and is forced to make propaganda videos.
Goto’s plea appeared designed to place maximum pressure on the Japanese government. But neither it nor its Jordanian counterpart looked likely to bow to the group’s demand.
The men’s disappearance was unknown to the Japanese public until the release of Tuesday’s video. It showed them kneeling in a desert, wearing orange clothes, next to a black-masked militant — believed to be “Jihadi John” — with a knife.
Within hours of its release, Japanese Twitter users were mocking the terrorist by creating and sharing images showing him using his knife to cut a kebab or replacing it with a banana.
Yukawa disappeared last August outside the Syrian city of Aleppo. His motive for travelling there, it emerged, was to put behind him personal troubles including the loss of his wife to cancer, and his own bankruptcy and suicide bid.
He claimed to have been a security consultant but did not appear to have found work as such. Japanese media suggested he believed himself to be the reincarnation of a cross-dressing Manchu princess who spied on Japan in the Second World War.
Goto is an experienced correspondent who has worked for Japanese broadcasters, including NHK, the equivalent of the BBC.
The two met in Syria last April and travelled together for a while. Goto eventually returned to Tokyo. His friend went back to Syria alone.
On learning of Yukawa’s abduction, Goto told Reuters news agency he felt haunted and wanted to help. He then contacted anti-government rebels in Aleppo to make arrangements for his quest.
He apparently believed that because Japan had not joined the military campaign against Isis, he would be able to gain the group’s co-operation. In a video recorded before his journey, Goto, who converted to Christianity in 1997, said: “Whatever happens this is my responsibility.”
Last night’s recording was not released through the usual “official” Isis channels. Twitter messages from known leading supporters of the group suggested it may have been released prematurely.
Experts pointed out discrepancies in Tuesday’s video that suggested the two hostages may have been filmed separately and the footage then spliced together.
Intelligence agencies will carefully examine the landscape in yesterday’s photo showing Yukawa’s decapitated body for clues to “Jihadi John’s” likely location.
Yukawa met his death in a grassy field, a contrast to the desert backdrop seen in videos of previous beheadings.
Rishawi’s release — though highly unlikely — would be a coup for Isis. Arrested after the Amman attack, she was shown confessing on Jordanian television, but later withdrew her confession.
David Cameron said Britain “stands in solidarity with the Japanese people”, adding: “Japan is right to refuse to bow to terrorism. Britain strongly supports the firm stance of Prime Minister Abe and his government.”
Additional reporting: Richard Kerbaj and Dipesh Gadher
