The Islamic State Threatens To Kill Two Japanese Hostages If Not Paid $200 Million

The Islamic State has threatened to kill two Japanese hostages if $US 200 million in ransom is not paid in 72 hours.

The threat was published in a video posted across websites linked to terrorist organizations. Two Japanese hostages dressed in orange are seen on their knees while a masked man stands in between them.

The hostages were identified as independent journalist Kenji Goto Jogo and private military contractor Haruna Yukawa.

“To the prime minister of Japan: Although you are more than 8,000 and 500 kilometers (5,280 miles) from the Islamic State, you willingly have volunteered to take part in this crusade…You have proudly donated $100 million to kill our women and children, to destroy the homes of the Muslims,” declares the masked terrorist, who appears to be the same masked man with a British accent that had appeared in earlier videos featuring the decapitation of journalists and other hostages.

The threat comes days after Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe left Egypt after a meeting with government officials, including Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. The Prime Minister is currently on a six-day visit to the Middle East.

In a quick press conference during his visit to Israel, Japan’s Prime Minister said the threat is “unforgivable” and cut short his trip.

While Islamic State fighters and leaders claim the group is led by religious and social principles and ideologies, this demand for ransom, as opposed to political demands, is a fist for the terrorist organization that is responsible for killing and abducting thousands in Iraq and Syria.