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Jordan to execute al-Qaida prisoner after killing of pilot

February 3, 2015
This still image made from video released by Islamic State group militants and posted on the website of the SITE Intelligence Group on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015, purportedly shows Jordanian pilot Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh standing in a cage just before being burned to death by his captors. The death of the 26-year-old pilot, who fell into the hands of the militants in December when his Jordanian F-16 crashed near Raqqa, Syria, followed a weeklong drama over a possible prisoner exchange. (AP Photo/SITE Intelligence Group)

This still image made from video released by Islamic State group militants and posted on the website of the SITE Intelligence Group on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2015, purportedly shows Jordanian pilot Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh standing in a cage just before being burned to death by his captors. The death of the 26-year-old pilot, who fell into the hands of the militants in December when his Jordanian F-16 crashed near Raqqa, Syria, followed a weeklong drama over a possible prisoner exchange. (AP Photo/SITE Intelligence Group)

AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — A Jordanian security official says Jordan will execute an al-Qaida prisoner at dawn Wednesday, just hours after authorities confirmed that Islamic State militants killed a captured Jordanian pilot.

A video the group released late Tuesday purportedly shows the pilot being burned alive in a cage. Jordan vowed a swift and lethal response to what it called a “barbaric act.”

Jordan had offered to swap the al-Qaida prisoner, Sajida al-Rishawi, for the pilot, Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh. However, the militants did not deliver proof he was still alive.

A Jordanian security official says al-Rishawi is to be executed at dawn. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the issue with the media.

Before dawn, a convoy was seen leaving Juweideh prison where al-Rishawi had been held. The convoy arrived at Swaqa prison, where executions have been carried out in the past.