Jordan Ready To Swap Al-Rishawi For Pilot; Japan Embassy Denies Hostage Exchange Deal: Reports

Update as of 6:21 a.m. EST: Jordan is ready to exchange Sajida al-Rishawi, the female suicide bomber in its custody, for the release of its military pilot Muath al-Kaseasbeh, The Associated Press reported, citing Jordan’s state news agency.

Mohammed al-Momani, the country’s information minister reportedly said that Rishawi will be released only if Kaseasbeh is freed unharmed. However, he did not mention Japanese hostage Kenji Goto. Earlier news reports had cited Japan’s deputy foreign minister as stating that Goto and al-Kaseasbeh would be released in exchange for Rishawi. But, the Japanese embassy reportedly denied the hostage exchange deal, Al Jazeera reported.

Update as of 5:56 a.m. EST: The Japanese embassy has denied earlier reports citing a deputy foreign minister that Japan and the Islamic State group had agreed to a prisoner exchange, Al Jazeera reported.

Original story:

The Japanese government and the Islamic State group have agreed to a hostage exchange that would secure the freedom of Kenji Goto, in exchange for the release of Sajida al-Rishawi, an Iraqi woman held in Jordan for a bombing that killed 60 people in 2005, according to reports.

According to posts on Al Jazeera's Twitter feed, citing a Japanese official, a Jordanian prisoner was scheduled to be released in exchange for Goto "within hours."

According to a Russia Today report, which cited Japan’s Fuji TV, Rishawi will be transferred to another prison from where she will be delivered to ISIS.

The news comes a day after ISIS released a new video with Goto stating that he and a Jordanian pilot, Muath al-Kaseasbeh, would be executed if the swap was not done in the next 24 hours. The video included a still image of Goto holding an image of al-Kaseasbeh and a voiceover stating the group's demands.