Jordan Executes 2 Over Pilot’s Death

Jordan executed two prisoners Wednesday in response to a video released hours earlier, purportedly showing a Jordanian fighter pilot being burned alive in a cage, according to a government official. Government spokesman Mohammed al-Momani said the two prisoners executed were Ziad al-Karbouli and Sajida al-Rishawi, who has been on death row for her role in a triple hotel bombing in 2005 that left dozens dead in Amman. Jordan vowed a “strong, decisive, and swift” response to the alleged killing of Lt. Muabh al-Kasabeh, a pilot who had been held hostage by the Islamic State since his aircraft went down over Syria in December. Jordanian TV reported the pilot’s death occured on Jan. 3, raising suspicions about previous negotiations for the pilot’s release late last month. Jordan had agreed to release al-Rishawi last week, but first demanded proof that the pilot was still alive.