Jordan has executed two al-Qaeda prisoners by hanging early Wednesday, a government spokesman said.
Failed suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi and Zaid al-Karbouly, also linked to al-Qaeda, who are both Iraqi nationals were executed before daybreak at Swaqa Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre, government spokesman Mohammed al-Momani said.
The executions come after a video surfaced Tuesday showing Islamic State militants killing 26-year-old Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, a Jordanian fighter pilot, by burning him alive in a cage.
Muath al-Kaseasbeh should be remembered by this image of him at Mecca, rather than the gruesome way he was killed pic.twitter.com/EmDk9PxNlN
— MPAC (@mpac_national) February 3, 2015
In video, purportedly showing his killing, al-Kaseasbeh, who has a black eye, speaks into the camera for nearly five minutes. About 15 minute into the footage, al-Kaseasbeh, wearing an orange jumpsuit, then walks in front of a line of masked men wearing matching military uniforms. He appears to be doused in a flammable liquid.
He had been captured by ISIS in December after his F-16 crashed while he was flying a mission as part of the U.S.-led air campaign against the group.
Jordan promised a swift and lethal response to the gruesome death, which sparked outrage and street demonstrations in Jordan, where the country’s participation in the anti-ISIS coalition has not been popular.
Al-Rishawi, who was convicted in September 2006 had been sentenced to death for her involvement in a coordinated al-Qaeda attack on three on hotels in Amman that year, which killed 60 people and left 90 wounded. During the attack, she was wearing a belt of explosives and a belt of ball bearings that failed to detonate in the middle of a crowd of wedding guests.
Al-Karboli had been convicted in 2008 for killing a Jordanian national.
“Executions by hanging were carried according to the legal system in Swaqa prison” where they had been moved earlier, #Jordan officials said
— Randa HABIB (@RandaHabib) February 4, 2015
A week ago, Jordan had said it was willing to swap al-Rishawi for the captured pilot, but froze any swap after failing to receive any proof that the pilot was still alive. Jordanian TV said the pilot was killed as long ago as Jan. 3.
Jordan, a staunch Western ally, had been conducting indirect, behind-the-scenes negotiations through tribal leaders in neighboring Iraq, according to the Associated Press.
Jordan’s King Abdullah who was on a scheduled visit to Washington D.C. meeting President Barack Obama Tuesday cut his visit short to return home. He released a statement to Jordan TV in which he called al-Kaseasbeh death a tragedy for all Jordanian men and women.
“The brave pilot Muath died in defence of his faith, homeland and nation, and joined other martyrs who fell for the sake of the country, sacrificing their lives for dear Jordan,” he said in the statement.
“Today we stand with the family of the brave Muath and with our people and our armed forces as we deal with this tragedy, which is a tragedy for all Jordanian men and women. At this difficult time, it is the duty of all citizens to unify their ranks and show the true character of the Jordanian people when they face hardships and plights, which will only strengthen us and reinforce our unity.”
Somber mood in #Amman this morning. Anger & disgust at criminal murder of hero pilot #Muath. Solidarity + sympathy with his family + #JO.
— Peter Millett (@PeterMillett1) February 4, 2015
At their White House meeting, the Jordanian monarch and Obama said “the vile murder of this brave Jordanian will only serve to steel the international community’s resolve to destroy ISIL,” according to White House spokesman Alistair.
The video was released three days after another video showed the purported beheading of a Japanese journalist, Kenji Goto, who was captured by Islamic State in October. The militants had linked the fates of the pilot and the journalist. A second Japanese hostage was apparently killed earlier last month.
In Japan, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe condemned the pilot’s killing as “a despicable terrorist activity.”
Statement by Prime Minister Abe on the murder of Jordanian pilot Lieutenant Muath al-Kaseasbeh:
http://t.co/w8PEdyasn5
— PM’s Office of Japan (@JPN_PMO) February 4, 2015
“From our hearts, we express solidarity with the Jordanian government and people,” Abe said, reading a statement.
“We will not give in to terrorism,” he added. “Our country will actively contribute, along with the international community, and we will fulfil our responsibility in the international community to fighting terrorism.”