The next few hours will be decisive for the release of Jordanian pilot Mu'ath al-Kaseasbeh and Japanese hostage Kenji Goto, two hostages held by the IS.MOSCOW, January 28 (Sputnik) The Islamic State set a 24 hour deadline forthe release ofSajida al-Rishawi, who was detained and convicted byJordanian authorities when her explosives belt failed todetonate duringthe al-Qaeda-led 2005 hotel bombings inJordan's capital Amman, asreported byAl Jazeera.
Rishawi has possibly been moved toa Jordanian prison inpreparation forher release according toseveral anonymous sources. Arabic Twitter handlers affiliated withthe IS later said that while the Jordanian government's agreement torelease al-Rishawi would ensure the simultaneous release ofJapanese freelance journalist Goto, it would merely ensure the survival, not the return, ofal-Kaseasbeh.
Last week, the IS released an initial video featuring Kenji Goto holding an image ofslain Japanese hostage Haruna Yukawa alongwith a warning that the group had abandoned their call fora $200 million dollar ransom fromthe Japanese government, asking foral-Rishawi's release instead.
On Tuesday, the head ofthe Foreign Affairs Committee ofJordans parliament said the country would "likely" accept a deal torelease a prisoner ondeath row inexchange fora Japanese hostage if the swap also included Jordan's captured fighter pilot, news website JO24 reported.
By Sputnik News
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