Unsuccessful negotiations took place for his release . His family applied pressure on the Jordanian government to arrange for his release . Originally , it was proposed to trade him and a kidnapped Japanese journalist , Kenji Goto , for Sajida al-Rishawi , a failed Iraqi suicide bomber incarcerated in Jordan since she took part in the 2005 Amman hotel bombings , and sentenced to death . The Jordanian government insisted on proof that al-Kasasbeh was still alive before it could proceed with a swap . ISIL refused and published the video of his killing . Some analysts have assessed ISIL 's offer of prisoner exchange as a gimmick that was meant to put into disrepute or mock the commitment of the Jordanian government to the military intervention against it . There have also been suggestions that the proposal was a tactic intended to free its valued member in exchange for a corpse
2005 Amman hotel bombings
2005 Amman bombings
Muath Al-Kasasbeh