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The radical, militant group Islamic State released on Tuesday a video that shows a pilot from Jordan who was being held hostage by the militants, being burned alive.
The video’s release came only days after the militant group beheaded a journalist from Japan.
Jordanian television reported that the pilot, Lt. Muath al-Kaseasbeh, was actually burned alive on January 3.
The video could not be verified independently after being released by the media arm of the Islamic State, according to IntelCenter, which monitors different extremist websites.
The recording marks just the first time a hostage of high profile was killed by fire, said IntelCenter. In previous killings, hostages were either shot or beheaded.
One expert on the Middle East said the video shows how IS is evolving its methods in order to gain the maximum exposure and impact for its actions.
The Obama administration said the intelligence community has started to work on confirming the authenticity of the video. President Obama said if the video was determined to be authentic; it was additional evidence of the barbarity and viciousness of the group.
A spokesperson for the armed forces in Jordan confirmed the pilot’s murder and vowed revenge and punishment.
Al-Kaseasbeh was taken captive by the IS in December after his aircraft had crashed in Syria. He was the first pilot from a foreign military to be captured by the IS since the coalition, led by the U.S. started airstrikes on the group last year.
The video of 22 minutes and 34 seconds shows footage depicting the participation of Jordan in the coalition led by the U.S. against the radical militant group. The video moves back and forth between shots of the pilot surrounded by IS fighters and of homes and buildings bombed by members of the coalition.
The final moments of the video show the pilot inside a cage with flammable powder around and beneath him. A line of powder can be seen running from the cage to a militant about 20 yards away who lights it. The man inside the cage is consumed by flames very quickly.
