ISIS Horrifically Executes Downed Jordanian Pilot

The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria released a video on Tuesday allegedly showing captured Jordanian pilot Lt. Moaz al-Kasasbeh being cruelly burned alive. He was 26 years old.

The video, which is still unverified, surfaced on ISIS-linked social media accounts, with screenshots being floated around on Twitter. The gruesome, 22-minute recording shows al-Kasasbeh locked in a cage and wearing an orange jumpsuit that appears to be doused in a flammable liquid. A trail of fire can also be seen heading closer and closer to the cage.

According to NBC News, the beginning of the video shows the 26-year-old pilot, who was captured by ISIS militants in December 2014, sitting at a table with a black eye. The recording then cuts to al-Kasasbeh standing in the cage.

The Jordanian government has been trying to negotiate with the militants for al-Kasasbeh's safe release. ISIS members previously said they would hold a prisoner swap, trading al-Kasasbeh for attempted suicide bomber and alleged al Qaeda member Sajida al-Rishawi, who's currently imprisoned in a Jordanian prison. On Sunday, Jordanian officials announced that they would release al-Rishawi for al-Kasasbeh's safety, and ISIS had said that the pilot would be killed if al-Rishawi was not released.

But there have been disputes about al-Kasasbeh's fate, and it's possible the 26-year-old was murdered by ISIS militants weeks before. A Jan. 8 tweet from an anti-ISIS activist reappeared on Tuesday, claiming that a source said al-Kasasbeh was executed earlier that month.

BBC News reports that Jordan state TV confirmed that al-Kasasbeh was killed about one month ago.

This horrific execution comes just several days after the murder of Kenji Goto, a freelance Japanese journalist who was seized by ISIS militants in October 2014. Goto's capture was first made public on Jan. 20 when ISIS released a video showing him and fellow Japanese national Haruna Yukawa kneeling in the Syrian desert beside a black-clad Islamic militant.

The terrorist group threatened to kill Goto and Yukawa unless the Japanese government paid a $200 million ransom. Japanese Prime Minister Abe refused, saying Japan would not bow down to terrorism. Yukawa was reportedly executed several days later, his death announced in a new ISIS video featuring Goto. ISIS then claimed the group would release Goto if al-Rishawi was released.

Currently, al-Rishawi remains in Jordan.

Images: Getty Images