CAIRO (AP) — The Islamic State group threatened to kill two Japanese hostages Tuesday unless they receive $200 million in 72 hours, directly demanding the ransom from Japan’s premier during his visit to the Middle East. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed to save the men, saying: “Their lives are the top priority.”
However, Abe and other Japanese officials declined to say whether they’d make the payment to save the men, identified in an extremist video released today as Kenji Goto Jogo and Haruna Yukawa.
The video, identified as being made by the Islamic State group’s al-Furqan media arm and posted on militant websites associated with the extremist group, mirrored other hostage threats it has made. Japanese officials said they would analyze the tape to verify its authenticity, though Abe offered no hesitation as he pledged to free the men while speaking to journalists in Jerusalem.
“It is unforgivable,” said Abe, now on a six-day visit to the Middle East with more than 100 government officials and presidents of Japanese companies. He added: “Extremism and Islam are completely different things.”
In the video, the two men appear in orange jumpsuits like other hostages previously killed by the Islamic State group, which controls a third of Iraq and Syria.
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