ISIS’ Japanese hostage video raises new questions about ‘Jihadi John’

The black-clad ISIS militant shown in a video demanding a $200 million ransom to spare the lives of two Japanese citizens looks and sounds similar to the man who has appeared in at least five previous hostage videos.

The knife-wielding masked man with a London accent, nicknamed “Jihadi John,” has issued threats and overseen the beheadings of American and British captives.

“You now have 72-hours to pressure your government in making a wise decision, by paying the $200 million to save the lives of your citizens,” the man in the video that appeared Tuesday says in comments addressed to Japanese citizens. “Otherwise, this knife will become your nightmare.”

A U.S. special forces mission in July failed to find Foley and other hostages in Syria.

“The attempt to rescue Mr. Foley is one of the things that has now made the White House very reluctant to act aggressively,” said Tony Shaffer, a former U.S. intelligence operative, who directed special operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, as ISIS’ deadline draws nearer, the Japanese government has to decide how it will respond to the extremists’ latest life-or-death ultimatum.

CNN