First beheading reported in Egypt
The Islamic State’s action undermines the nation’s effort to restore stability.
cairo» A Croatian hostage abducted in Egypt by Islamic State terrorists has been beheaded, according to a gruesome image circulated Wednesday online — a killing that, if confirmed, would be the first of its kind involving a foreign captive in the country, undermining government efforts to project stability and buttress an economic turnaround.
The killing of the 30-year-old oil and gas sector surveyor would deal a blow to President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi’s attempts to burnish the country’s reputation a week after he unveiled a new extension of the Suez canal in a much-hyped ceremony attended by international dignitaries.
It will also probably rattle companies with expatriate workers in Egypt and cast a cloud over hopes of boosting international investment and tourism following years of unrest in the wake of Egypt’s Arab Spring uprising.
The still photo, circulated by Islamic State supporters on social media, appeared to show the body of Tomislav Salopek, a married father of two, wearing a beige jumpsuit like the one he wore in a previous video. A black flag used by the Islamic State terrorist group and a knife were planted in the sand next to his body.
A caption in Arabic said Salopek was killed “for his country’s participation in the war against the Islamic State.” The execution came after a deadline had passed for Egypt to meet his captors’ demands to free jailed Islamist women.
The picture contained an inset of two Egyptian newspaper reports, one declaring Croatia’s support for Egypt’s war against terrorism and another noting Croatia’s backing of the Kurds, who have been battling the Islamic State group 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.
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 percent confirm it is true, but what we see looks horrific. A confirmation may not come for several days,” he said, adding that the search for Salopek will continue as long as there is a glimmer of hope.
In remarks posted on the Egyptian Foreign Ministry’s Facebook page, Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said authorities were working to verify the authenticity of the claim.
In Salopek’s hometown, anguished residents refused to believe the reports of his beheading.
“No, no, no,” Goran Blazanovic kept repeating as he sat in a cafe in Vrpolje, Croatia, with other grim-looking friends and family of the Croat captive, who kept searching their smartphones 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.”
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, which Egypt brands a terrorist organization, said the beheading was a sign the government had failed to curb the rise of terrorism.