ISIS Releases Images of Executed Hostages in Jihadi Magazine
The Islamic State terrorist organization announced Wednesday through its monthly online magazine that its militants have executed two foreign hostages from China and Norway.
In the newest edition of IS' online English-language magazine, Dabiq, the jihadi group published two photos of foreign hostages that it claims had been "executed after being abandoned by their kafir [infidel] nations and organizations."
The photos appeared on the second-to-last page of the magazine and featured 48-year-old Norwegian graduate student Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad and 50-year-old Beijing native Fan Jinghui, whom both appear to have been fatally shot in the head.
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IS never explained when and how the two men were captured but announced their captivity in a previous edition of the magazine when the two men were pictured wearing yellow jumpsuits and labeled as prisoners "for sale."
Although it is unclear when the men were captured, The Associated Press reports that Grimsgaard-Ofstad's last Facebook post came on Jan. 24, which explained that he was in Idlib, Syria, on his way to the city of Hama.
Even though the murders of the two men have not been confirmed, Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg said during a press conference that there was no reason to doubt IS' claims that the men had been killed.
"It is painful for the family and the whole country," Solberg said.
Norway's Foreign Minister Borge Brende said at the same press conference that IS had previously sent photos showing how Grimsgaard-Ofstad "was harshly mistreated." Brende added that the militant group also demanded a ransom for his release.
"We do not pay ransom," Solberg asserted. "Even if it hurts, we should never let the terrorists win."
The Chinese government, although it didn't pay the ransom for Jinghui's release, claims it made "all-out efforts" to help rescue the former Beijing middle school teacher who is the first known Chinese national to be killed by IS.
In a Thursday statement, China's Foreign Ministry issued a promise to hold IS accountable for killing one of their citizens.
"The Chinese government strongly condemns this inhuman action and will definitely hold the perpetrators accountable," the ministry's spokesman Hong Lei said in the statement. "Terrorism is the common enemy faced by all humanity. The Chinese government opposes all forms of terrorism and firmly cracks down on any violent and terrorist crime that challenges the baseline of human civilization. The Chinese side will continue to enhance counter-terrorism cooperation with the international community and safeguard world peace and tranquility."
The current edition of the Dabiq magazine, which is the the magazine's 12th issue, also features a picture of the explosive device that the militant group claims to have used to down the Russian Metrojet that crashed over Egypt's Sinai Peninsula last month and killed over 224 innocent people.
The image shows a can of Schweppes pineapple soda and what appear to be a detonator and switch. The photo also features the caption, "Image of the I.E.D. used to bring down the Russian airliner."
"A bomb was smuggled onto the airplane, leading to the deaths of 219 Russians and five other crusaders only a month after Russia's thoughtless decision," the magazine's foreword said, according to the Middle East Media Research Institute.
"Revenge was exacted upon those who felt safe in the cockpits of their jets," the magazine added.
