Jordanian Pilot Burned Alive by Islamic State

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — The spokesman for the Jordanian armed forces has confirmed the death of a pilot captured by the Islamic State extremist group and vowed "punishment and revenge."

His remarks came after an online video purportedly released by the Islamic State group appeared to show the captured pilot being burned to death.

The video was released on militant websites and bore the logo of the extremist group's al-Furqan media service.

Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, 26, fell into the hands of the militants in December when his Jordanian F-16 crashed near Raqqa, Syria, the de facto capital of the group's self-styled caliphate. He was the first pilot from the U.S.-led coalition to be captured.

Following militant demands, Jordan's government had said it was willing to trade Sajida al-Rishawi, an al-Qaida prisoner, for the pilot. Al-Rishawi faces death in Jordan for her role in a 2005 hotel attack that killed 60 people.