Jordanian pilot Maaz al-Kassasbeh (L), who was captured by Islamic State (IS) jihadist group on December 24 in Syria, and Sajida al-Rishawi (R), a would-be suicide bomber on death row since 2006. (AFP)
Jordan said today it was still awaiting proof from the Islamic State jihadist group that a captured Jordanian pilot was alive, hours after the country offered a prisoner exchange.
"We asked a while ago for proof that hero Maaz (al-Kassasbeh) is alive but we have not received anything," Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh wrote on Twitter shortly before 1500 GMT.
About an hour earlier he denied that Iraqi female jihadist Sajida al-Rishawi had already been freed in exchange for the pilot.
Islamic State, in a video released on Tuesday, threatened to kill Kassasbeh and Japanese hostage Kenji Goto unless Jordan released Rishawi within 24 hours. According to Tokyo the deadline expired at about 1400 GMT today.
Rishawi has been on death row since 2006 for her part in triple hotel bombings in Amman that killed 60 people.