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Terror group releases videos of Japanese, Italian men held captive in Syria

Washington | ByAgence France-Presse
Aug 01, 2018 05:44 PM IST

The two men -- Japanese freelance journalist Jumpei Yasuda and Italian national Alessandro Sandrini -- are shown kneeling in front of a wall wearing orange jumpsuits while armed men dressed head-to-toe in black stand behind them.

A jihadist group has released videos of a Japanese journalist and an Italian man held captive in Syria in which they appeal for their release, US-based monitors said Tuesday.

This video image released on July 31, 2018, and provided courtesy of SITE Intelligence Group shows Italian national, Alessandro Sandrini, appealing for his release as two armed men stand behind him in Syria.(AFP Photo)
This video image released on July 31, 2018, and provided courtesy of SITE Intelligence Group shows Italian national, Alessandro Sandrini, appealing for his release as two armed men stand behind him in Syria.(AFP Photo)

The two men -- Japanese freelance journalist Jumpei Yasuda and Italian national Alessandro Sandrini -- appear in two separate videos that are nonetheless similar in their staging and were released by the SITE group, which tracks white supremacist and jihadist organizations.

SITE did not say which group was responsible for the videos.

Both men are shown kneeling in front of a wall wearing orange jumpsuits while armed men dressed head-to-toe in black stand behind them.

Jumpei is thought to have been abducted by the Al-Nusra Front, a former Al-Qaeda affiliate, in northern Syria in 2015.

This video image released on July 31, 2018, and provided courtesy of SITE Intelligence Group shows Japanese national, Yasuda Jumpei. (AFP Photo)
This video image released on July 31, 2018, and provided courtesy of SITE Intelligence Group shows Japanese national, Yasuda Jumpei. (AFP Photo)

He identifies himself as Korean in the video but speaks Japanese, giving the recording date as July 25, stating that he is in a bad situation and asking for help.

Sandrini gives a different date, July 19, and says that it is his last request to the Italian government.

The Italian hostage was kidnapped in Turkey in October 2016 before being taken to Syria, according to reports in the Italian media. He is believed to be from Brescia and is said to be around 32 years old.

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