US Races to Aid Japan After ISIS 'Kills' One Hostage
— -- U.S. intelligence is focusing its efforts today on helping to find and potentially rescue the surviving Japanese ISIS hostage, who in a new video released over the weekend was forced to hold what appeared to be a photograph of his fellow hostage beheaded.
In the new video, journalist Kenji Goto reads a plea for his own life, passing along ISIS's demand for a prisoner swap rather than the $200 million originally demanded by ISIS.
"They are being fair. They no longer want money, so you don't have to worry about funding terrorists," Goto says.
Goto says ISIS wants Japan to pressure the country of Jordan into releasing Sajida al-Rishawi, a female attempted suicide bomber who confessed to her role in a deadly string of al Qaeda bombings in Jordan in 2005. The attacks killed dozens and al-Rishawi was placed on death row.
The new video is substantially different than previous such videos from ISIS -- missing some of the group's trademark high production qualities and the masked man who appears to have a British accent featured in other execution videos.
U.S. officials today are poring over the video to exploit any potential clues.
"We are sparing no expense and sparing no effort, both in trying to make sure that we're prepared to do anything we must to try and get them home," White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough told ABC News' "This Week" Sunday.
Top U.S. and Japanese treated the new video and the apparent murder of the first Japanese hostage as authentic, with President Obama saying Saturday the U.S. "strongly condemns the brutal murder of Japanese citizen [and ISIS hostage] Haruna Yukawa by the terrorist group ISIL [ISIS]."
"We stand shoulder to shoulder with our ally Japan and applaud its commitment to peace and development in a region far from its shores," Obama said.
Obama called for a release of all remaining hostages, which U.S. officials previously said includes a 26-year-old American woman.
Overnight The Associated Press reported high-level Japanese officials had met with Jordanian officials, but the Japanese officials declined to comment on the outcome of the meetings.
Jordanian King Adbullah has repeatedly refused to free al-Rishawi -- whose release has been a demand from other extremists in the past -- although he has put her execution on hold. When ISIS first demanded the $200 million ransom for the two Japanese hostages, the Japanese government said it would not give in.
