Several credit cards belonging to Japanese freelance journalist Jumpei Yasuda have been used since contact with him was lost last year after he entered Syria, police said.
They said Tuesday they have found that the credit cards of Yasuda, 42, were used for transactions amounting to tens of thousands of yen, including to pay communications costs, via multiple European websites. The police have also found indications that his Facebook account has been accessed.
It is believed that Yasuda is being held by the Nusra Front, a Syrian rebel group that broke with al-Qaida and changed its name earlier this year.