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[h=4]Jordan renews prisoner swap offer after ISIL beheading[/h]Jordan renewed its offer to exchange an al-Qaeda prisoner for a fighter pilot held hostage by the Islamic State on Sunday, as outrage and grief gripped Japan after the militant group released a video online that purports to show the beheading of hostage Kenji Goto.
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Jordan is willing to exchange an al-Qaeda prisoner for the safe return of Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, a Jordanian pilot held hostage by the Islamic State. The renewed offer came after the Islamic State purportedly beheaded Japanese hostage Kenji Goto. VPC
Junko Ishido, the mother of Kenji Goto, a Japanese journalist held by the Islamic State, speaks to reporters at her home in Tokyo on Sunday after the group announced in a video it has beheaded Kenji Goto.(Photo: Franck Robichon, European Pressphoto Agency)
Jordan renewed its offer Sunday to exchange an al-Qaeda prisoner for a fighter pilot held hostage by the Islamic State, as outrage and grief gripped Japan after the militant group released a video that purports to show the beheading of hostage Kenji Goto.
Jordan remains "as committed as ever" to the U.S.-led military coalition fighting the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said.
Japan braced for possible future attacks by tightening security at airports and Japanese facilities abroad, including embassies and schools. The country, until now, had not been directly embroiled in the battle against the extremists.
"I feel indignation over this immoral and heinous act of terrorism," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. In a phone call with Abe, Jordan's King Abdullah II condemned the killing as a "criminal act." And leaders from around the world, including President Obama, shared their sorrow over the death of Goto, 47, a journalist.
The video of the apparent beheading of Goto was released via militant websites late Saturday, and it bore the symbols of previous tapes from the Islamic State. Japan's defense minister, Gen Nakatani, said the police agency considers the video "highly likely to be authentic."
Jordanian pilot Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, left, and Sajida al-Rishawi, right, an Iraqi woman sentenced to death in Jordan for her involvement in a 2005 terrorist attack on a hotel.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: , AP)
Goto's apparent death raises more concerns about the fate of the Jordanian pilot, Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, who was also being held hostage.
The extremists earlier demanded that Jordan release Sajida al-Rishawi, an Iraqi woman who faces death by hanging for her role in triple hotel bombings in Jordan in 2005. The Islamic State, in an audio message last week, said the pilot would be killed if al-Rishawi was not released by sunset Thursday. That deadline passed, and Jordan said it wants proof the pilot was still alive before releasing her.
Government spokesman Mohammed al-Momani said Sunday that Jordan is "still ready to hand over" al-Rishawi in return for the pilot. He said Jordan was continuing its efforts to get proof that al-Kaseasbeh is still alive and to secure his release.
The pilot's father, Safi al-Kaseasbeh, said he is worried, but still is putting his faith in the government. "Of course, I'm concerned," he said by telephone. "This is my son. I'm always concerned about him and any development makes me more concerned."
In Japan, a few dozen people gathered Sunday afternoon in front of Abe's official residence in downtown Tokyo to show sympathy for the hostages.
"I feel so sad and angry. Why didn't the government rescue Kenji?" said Mayuko Tamura, 31, a pediatrician who came with her husband and their 8-month-old baby.
USA TODAY
Islamic State seeks legitimacy in prisoner swap
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A small vigil was held for journalist Kenji Goto in Tokyo on Sunday following news that he had been beheaded apparently by Islamic State group militants. (Feb. 1) AP
Goto, a freelance journalist, was captured in October after going into Syrian territory to try to secure the release of another Japanese hostage, Haruna Yukawa. Goto was shown in an Islamic State video on Jan. 24 holding a photo that purported to show Yukawa's body. The militant group initially sought a $200 million ransom but later changed its demands to seek the release of al-Rishawi.
The pilot, al-Kaseasbeh, 26, fell into the hands of the militants in December when his F-16 crashed near Raqqa, Syria.
USA TODAY
Islamic State faces growing opposition in Mosul
Contributing: Jane Onyanga-Omara, USA TODAY; the Associated Press
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A video reportedly released by the Islamic State shows the apparent beheading of Japanese journalist Kenji Goto. There is no word on whether or not a separate hostage, a Jordanian pilot, is still alive. VPC
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