Jordan still holding prisoner demanded by Islamic State

Jordan is still holding a prisoner whose release has been demanded by Islamic State militants and her freedom depends on the fate of a Jordanian pilot captured by the insurgents, government spokesman Mohammad Momani said on Wednesday.

“It's not true she has been released. Her release is tied to freeing our pilot,” Momani said of Sajida Rishawi, an Iraqi woman on death row for her role in a 2005 suicide bomb attack.

The fate of the pilot was thought to be tied to that of Japanese hostage Kenji Goto after a video was released on Tuesday purporting to show the Japanese national saying he had 24 hours to live unless Jordan released al-Rishawi.