Jordan agrees to swap jailed terrorist for ISIS hostage

Peter Weber, The Week US's avatar
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(Image credit: ISIS hostage Kenji Goto is seen on a screen in Tokyo. (REUTERS/Yuya Shino))

On Wednesday, Jordan said it has offered to hand convicted terrorist Sajida al-Rishawi to Islamic State in exchange for a Jordanian air force pilot captured by ISIS, First Lt. Moaz al-Kasasbeh. ISIS had threatened to kill Kasasbeh and a Japanese journalist today if their demands weren't met. Jordan's statement didn't mention the Japanese hostage, Kenji Goto. Earlier Wednesday, Kasasbeh's father had angrily urged Jordan's King Abdullah II to make the exchange.

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Peter Weber, The Week US
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.