Jordan offers prisoner swap with IS group

Jordan has said it will free a high-profile Islamic State sympathiser in exchange for a Jordanian pilot held by the group, hours after the group threatened to kill him and pressure mounted on Amman to secure his release.

Amman's offer on Wednesday came hours after the IS group said it would kill Lieutenant Maaz al-Kassasbeh and Kenji Goto, a Japanese hostage, unless Sajida al-Rishawi was released from prison within 24 hours.

The IS group said only that it would not kill Kassasbeh, and did not offer to exchange him. Nevertheless, Jordan's government demanded his freedom as part of any deal.

"Jordan is ready to release the prisoner Sajida al-Rishawi if the Jordanian pilot is freed unharmed," Jordanian state television quoted a government spokesman as saying on Wednesday.

"From the start, the position of Jordan was to ensure the safety of our son, Kassasbeh," it added. The statement made no mention of the Japanese hostage.

The Japanese government said it believed the IS deadline was about 2pm GMT on Wednesday, a time already expired.

Kassabeh was captured by IS fighters after his F-16 jet crashed in Syria while he was taking part in a mission as part of the US-led coalition against the group.

We want Maaz to come back. That is all we want, nothing else. We’ll get Maaz back at any price. Kassabeh's father, Safi.

Jordan's government has been under huge pressure to secure his release after the IS group killed a Japanese hostage earlier this month and threatened the lives of other captives.

Amman has been the scene of large protests over his captivity. At a sit-in at the prime minister's official residence yesterday, Kassabeh's father, Safi, told al-Araby al-Jadeed that he was willing to do anything to secure his son's freedom.

"We want Maaz to come back. That is all we want, nothing else. We’ll get Maaz back at any price," he said.

The pilot's father said he would hold the government of Jordan responsible if his son was murdered. He said no officials had been in contact with him and he had not been told the details of the government's efforts to free his son.

The sit-in was organised by the Barasha tribe shortly after the IS began making threats against the pilot's life.

Protesters held pictures of the pilot and chanted slogans against the government and King Abdullah.

Rishawi is in prison in Jordan after being found guilty of conspiracy to bomb targets in Jordan.

A Jordanian official denied to al-Araby rumours that she had already been handed over to a third party to begin the prisoner swap.

The foreign minister, Nasser Judeh, said on Twitter: "The rumours are not true. We have said since the get go that her release depends on the release of our son Maaz."

The rumours over Rishawi's status had led to claims that the Jordanian government was preparing to release her in exchange for the Japanese hostage, a deal that would have left Kassasbeh in the hands of the IS group.