ISIS ally's image purports to show Croatian hostage Tomislav Salopek beheaded
ISIS affiliate had demanded Egyptian authorities release female Islamist prisoners
Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) sympathizers circulated an image Wednesday that appears to show the grisly aftermath of the beheading of a Croatian hostage abducted in Egypt, which if confirmed would mark the first such killing of a foreign captive in the country since the extremist group established a branch here last year.
The killing of the 30-year-old oil and gas sector surveyor likely will rattle companies with expatriate workers in Egypt and cast a cloud over President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi's attempts to boost international investment and tourism following years of unrest.
The still image, shared by ISIS sympathizers on social media, appeared to show the body of Tomislav Salopek, a married, father of two, wearing a beige jumpsuit resembling the one he had worn in a previous video. A black ISIS flag and a knife were planted in the sand next to him.
The photo carried a caption in Arabic that said Salopek was killed "for his country's participation in the war against the Islamic State," and after a deadline had passed for the Egyptian government to meet their demands.
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The picture also contained an inset of two Egyptian newspaper reports, with one headline declaring Croatia's support of Egypt in its war against terrorism and another saying Croatia reiterated its support for the Kurds, who have been battling ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Croatian troops fought in the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq and still serve in the NATO-led force in Afghanistan.
Egypt, Croatia yet to confirm
In a televised address to the nation, Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic said authorities there could not confirm the killing with certainty.
"We cannot 100 per cent confirm it is true, but what we see looks horrific. A confirmation may not come for several days," he said, appealing for calm and adding that officials will not stop searching for Salopek as long as there is any hope.
Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry told Al-Arabiya television late Wednesday that the "relevant authorities must first confirm the authenticity of the image that was circulated of the killing of the Croatian citizen."
He added that "these terrorist operations target citizens of different nationalities in a number of countries in the region and the world."
Al-Azhar, the Sunni Muslim world's prestigious religious institute, condemned the apparent killing, calling it a "demonic act of which all religions and human traditions are innocent." The statement also said Islamic law stipulates that it is forbidden to shed the blood of foreigners.
Exiled members of the Muslim Brotherhood group, branded a terrorist organization by authorities, said the beheading was a sign that the government had failed to curb the rise of extremism in the country.
The Associated Press could not independently verify the image. However, it bore markings consistent with the filmed hostage demand that the group released last week.
In that video, the ISIS affiliate set an Aug. 7 deadline for Egyptian authorities to free "Muslim women," a term referring to female Islamist prisoners detained in a sweeping government crackdown following the 2013 military ouster of the country's Islamist president.
Abducted in Cairo
The extremists' videotaped demand was entitled "A Message to the Egyptian Government," and was shot in the style of previous Islamic State propaganda videos. It came just a day before el-Sissi hosted a much-hyped ceremony with foreign dignitaries to mark the opening of a new section of the Suez Canal.
Salopek, a surveyor working with France's CGG Ardiseis, was abducted on a highway west of Cairo last month. The company has an office in the leafy Maadi suburb, where many expats and diplomats live.
In Salopek's hometown Vrpolje in Croatia, residents refuse to believe the reports.
"No, no, no," Goran Blazanovic kept repeating as he sat in the local cafe filled with pale and quiet guests who were switching from one news portal to another on their smartphone screens, looking for signs that would give them hope that the reports were mistaken.
"Nothing is proven," Blazanovic insisted. "We hope that he will come back home to his wife and children."
ISIS holds about a third of Iraq and neighbouring Syria in its self-declared "caliphate." In Syria, Islamic State militants have killed foreign journalists and aid workers, starting with American journalist James Foley in August last year, and released grisly videos of the beheadings.
Foley's taped beheading was followed by the killing of American-Israeli journalist Steven Sotloff, British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning, American aid worker Peter Kassig, as well as Japanese nationals Haruna Yukawa and Kenji Goto.
In Libya, an ISIS affiliate released a video in February showing its fighters beheading a group of Coptic Christians from Egypt. In April, another video showed them beheading and shooting dead groups of Ethiopian Christians.