'Yes..They Will Kill Me' Says Jordanian Pilot in Disturbing Interview to Islamic State

NEW DELHI: The Islamic State has published an interview purportedly with the Jordanian pilot the group captured on Christmas Eve. The interview with First Lieutenant Muath al-Kasaesbeh, 26, is carried in the latest issue of the group’s online magazine, Dabiq. The interview, presented in a short question and answer format, discusses the pilot’s capture and asks if the pilot knows what the Islamic State will do to him. “Yes.. They will kill me,” he answers.

The Jordanian was captured after his plane came down near Raqqa in Syria. "Jordan holds the group (IS) and its supporters responsible for the safety of the pilot and his life," said a statement read out on state television, that added that the F-16 warplane had crashed during a Jordanian air force "military mission against the hideouts of the terrorist group.”

The full interview is reproduced below:

The interview follows a campaign on social media by Islamic State supporters that uses the hashtag “Suggest a way to kill the Jordanian pilot pig.” The hashtag has been shared several thousand times accompanied by gruesome photos. Suggestions have included beheading, burning alive, pummeling with a tractor, and "impalement." At the same time, another hashtag – WeAllWantToSlaughterMuath – has been mentioned over 11,000 times.

(An image showing the captured Jordanian pilot. Photo credit: EPA).

The hashtags were a response to a wider social media campaign started by the captured pilot’s family. Hundreds of thousands of people have tweeted “WeAreAllMuath” since the young pilot was taken captive on Christmas Eve.