IS claims beheading second Japanese captive

TOKYO: The Islamic State group claimed in a video that it has beheaded a second Japanese hostage, drawing international condemnation and outrage from a visibly upset Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who denounced it as a “heinous and despicable” act.
The apparent killing of 47-year-old Kenji Goto – the second beheading of a Japanese hostage in a week – was announced in a video released online that included no mention of a Jordanian pilot also being held by IS, whom the militant group has threatened to kill.
Goto, a respected freelance journalist, is seen in an orange outfit – similar to those worn by Guantanamo Bay inmates – kneeling next to a standing masked man who speaks with a British accent and blames the Japanese government for his “slaughter”.
The man, dressed head-to-toe in black with his face covered, appears to be the same IS militant who has featured in the group's previous execution videos.
The executioner addresses Abe, saying the murder was the result of “reckless” decisions by the Japanese government and would mark the beginning of “the nightmare for Japan”.
The e brief video ends with the image of a body dressed in orange with a decapitated head on top of it. Abe vowed to “never forgive terrorists” after news of the video broke early Sunday morning in Japan.
“I am extremely angry about these heinous and despicable terrorist acts. We will never forgive terrorists,” the premier, who appeared on the verge of tears, told reporters.
“We will cooperate with the international community to make them atone for their crimes.” Goto's distraught mother said she “can't find the words” to describe her son's death.
“I can't find the words to describe how I feel about my son's very sad death,” a sobbing Junko Ishido told reporters.
The 47-year-old was a freelance journalist who established a video production company, Independent Press, in Tokyo in 1996, supplying documentaries on the Middle East and other regions to Japanese television networks, including public broadcaster NHK.
Goto had apparently been out of contact since late October after telling family that he intended to return to Japan, NHK reported. In early November, his wife received email demands for about one billion yen ($8.5 million) in ransom from a person claiming to be a member of Islamic State, Fuji TV said.
The emailed threats were later confirmed to have come from a sender implicated in the killing of US journalist James Foley, Fuji TV said. In video footage he filmed around the time he entered Syria, Goto holds identification papers and his Japanese passport and explains that he is aware of the risks.
“Whatever happens, I am the one who is responsible,” he says. “I am asking you, Japanese people, do not place responsibility on the people of Syria. Please. I am sure I will come back alive, though.”
Goto's brother Junichi Goto said he had been holding out hope, “But that's not possible anymore,” he was quoted as saying by public broadcaster NHK. US President Barack Obama led international condemnation of the “heinous murder”.
“Through his reporting, Mr Goto courageously sought to convey the plight of the Syrian people to the outside world,” Obama said.