President Obama offered his condolences to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in a phone call Sunday after the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria released a video announcing the execution of a Japanese citizen.
Obama spoke with Abe from New Delhi, India, where the president and first lady are conducting a diplomatic mission before heading to Saudi Arabia for the funeral of the late King Abdullah.
During the conversation, Obama “expressed appreciation for Japan’s significant contributions of humanitarian assistance to the Middle East region,” the White House said in a statement.
Haruna Yukawa, the Japanese citizen who appears to have been beheaded in the three-minute video released Saturday, had been held alongside fellow hostage Kenji Goto for a $200 million ransom.
Holding a photo of what appeared to be a beheaded Yukawa, Goto said the Islamic State had shifted its demands from money to the release of female suicide bomber Sajida al-Rishawi from a Jordan prison.
The White House said U.S. intelligence officials are working to determine whether the video is authentic.
