ISIS Video: Jordan Pilot Burned Alive in Cage

Muath al-Kaseasbeh executed in militants' latest video
By Polly Davis Doig,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 3, 2015 11:11 AM CST
Updated Feb 3, 2015 11:41 AM CST
ISIS Video Shows Jordan Pilot Burned Alive
A banner with a picture of Jordanian pilot, Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, who is held by ISIS militants, is raised by workers in Amman, Jordan, Friday, Jan. 30, 2015.   (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)

ISIS today released a video purporting to show the execution of Jordanian pilot Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, and in it he is burned alive. Images being posted by militants on Twitter show a man in a cage, and a line of fuel leading to it. The line is set on fire, and as Sky News puts it, "the cage bursts into flames." Al-Kaseasbeh had been held since his plane crashed just before Christmas in ISIS-held territory just outside Raqqa, Syria. He had been the subject of intense negotiations between Jordan and the militants, who sought the release of an Iraqi woman convicted in Jordan. Jordanian state media confirmed al-Kaseasbeh's death, adds the BBC, and said that he was killed a month ago.

Jordan had recently demanded proof of life; none was forthcoming, so it's unclear when the video might have been filmed. The Daily Beast notes that Jordan, which faced intense domestic pressure to secure al-Kaseasbeh's release, had vowed to kill ISIS prisoners if the pilot was executed. (More Muath al-Kaseasbeh stories.)

Get breaking news in your inbox.
What you need to know, as soon as we know it.
Sign up
Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X