Jordan revenge Pilot's Death by Executing 2 al-Qaida Prisoners

Jordan executed two al-Qaida prisoners before dawn Wednesday, just hours after an online video purported to show Islamic State group militants burning a captured Jordanian pilot to death in a cage.

 The prisoners executed by Jordan were Sajida al-Rishawi and Ziad al-Karbouly, two Iraqis linked to al-Qaida, government spokesman Mohammed al-Momani said. Another official said they were executed by hanging.


The gruesome death of 26-year-old Lt. Muath Al-Kaseasbeh, captured while participating in airstrikes by a U.S.-led coalition targeting the militants, sparked outrage and anti-Islamic State group demonstrations in Jordan. Newspaper headlines warned Jordan "will take revenge" for his slaying as King Abdullah II, a staunch Western ally, rushed back to his kingdom from Washington.

The executions took place at Swaqa prison about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of the Jordan's capital, Amman. At sunrise, two ambulances carrying the bodies of al-Rishawi and al-Karbouly drove away from the prison with security escorts. Authorities said they'd be buried later in Jordan.