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Japanese official denies information on deal for hostage release

Xinhua, January 28, 2015 Adjust font size:

Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Yasuhide Nakayama said Wednesday he lacks information on any deal for the release of the Japanese hostage detained by the Islamic State (IS).

Several media reports indicated Wednesday that there was an agreement to swap a suicide bomber detained in Jordan, Sajida Rishawi, with the Japanese hostage.

On Tuesday, Jordanian Armed Forces said they were working on verifying the authenticity of the video released by Islamic State (IS) earlier in the day.

According to the unverified video, the Japanese hostage said IS will only release him if Sajida is set free by Jordan within 24 hours, otherwise IS will execute him and Jordanian pilot Muath Kasasbeh who was captured by IS after his plane crashed last month in Syria.

Rishawi is an Iraqi woman who has close ties with Abu Musab Zarqawi, the former leader of an al-Qaida cell in Iraq.

The army said it was closely following-up what was mentioned in the video, which it clarified did not refer to their Jordanian pilot.

In a video posted online Tuesday afternoon, Japanese freelance journalist Kenji Goto was featured with a message to the Japanese government.

Goto asked the Japanese government to pressure Jordan to release Sajida Rishawi, a suicide bomber who in 2005 failed to detonate the explosive belt she was wearing and was later arrested and sentenced to death. Endit