A captured pilot has been burned alive in a most wicked manner by heartless terrorists, according to a video published online by Islamic State (IS) terrorists.

The video, which could not immediately be verified, shows a man standing in a cage and engulfed in flames.

The man is believed to be Lt Moaz al-Kasasbeh, who was captured when his plane came down near Raqqa, Syria, in December on a mission to support the US-led military coalition against IS.

Jordanian state TV confirmed the death and said he was killed a month ago.

The video posted online today was distributed via a Twitter account known as a source for IS propaganda.

A relative of Lt Kasasbeh told Reuters news agency that the Jordanian armed forces had informed the family that he had been killed.

BBC’s Frank Gardner says that the video is clearly intended to shock.

The highly produced 22-minute film includes a sequence showing the Jordanian pilot walking at gunpoint amongst rubble apparently caused by coalition air strikes that targeted jihadists.

Jordan had been attempting to secure Lt Kasasbeh's release as part of a prisoner swap.

It had offered to free Sajida al-Rishawi, who is on death row in Jordan for her role in hotel bombings in Amman in 2005, in return for the release of Lt Kasasbeh.

The video emerged three days after another video appeared to show the dead body of Japanese hostage Kenji Goto.

The US state department said it was working to confirm the authenticity of the video.

US President Barack Obama said in a statement that if the video was real, it would be “one more indication of the viciousness and barbarity” of IS.

“I think it will redouble the vigilance and determination of the part of the global coalition to make sure they are degraded and ultimately defeated,” he added.

•Adapted from a BBC report. Photo shows the late pilot, Moaz al-Kasasbeh.