The so-called Islamic State (IS) released a video on line showing the beheading of Japanese freelance journalist Kenji Goto. The IS claimed that the journalist, who had gone to Syria in October 2014, was killed because of Japan's support for the countries fighting IS. The group had reportedly previously agreed to free journalist against the release of Iraqi militant Sajida al-Rishawi held in Jordan.

Reports said that 47-year-old Kenji, a respected journalist known for his work covering the suffering of civilians in war zones, went to Syria in October, reportedly to try to secure the release of another Japanese national, Mr HAruna Yukawa, who was also executed by the IS, less than a week before Goto's murder. But his widow, Rinko, said in a message pleading for her husband's life that he had gone to Syria " to show the plight of those who suffer."