ISIL-linked group claims beheading of Croatian hostage in Egypt

A Daesh-affiliated group based in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula claims to have beheaded a Croatian hostage abducted near the Egyptian capital, Cairo, last month.

On Tuesday, militants from the so-called Velayat Sinai (Sinai Province), previously known as Ansar Bait al-Maqdis, posted a picture to Twitter of a dead hostage, identified as Tomislav Salopek, with his head cut off and placed on his back.

The terrorist group said the Croat was killed for his country’s participation in the war against Daesh Takfiri terrorists.

Salopek, who worked for the French geoscience company (CGG)’s branch office in Cairo, was abducted on July 22 west of the Egyptian capital. The Croatian Foreign Ministry earlier said in a statement that Salopek was abducted while on his way to work.

The militant group had issued a 48-hour deadline that ended last Friday threatening to behead him if female prisoners held in Egyptian jails were not released.

The Velayat Sinai, who pledged allegiance to the Takfiri ISIL terrorist group last November, has also claimed responsibility for the killing of several Egyptian security personnel and soldiers over the past few months.

The terrorist group has also staged several attacks in some of Egypt’s major cities, including the capital.

Gunmen have launched numerous terrorist attacks in the Sinai Peninsula, which has long been considered a safe haven for militants, since summer 2013.

A state of emergency has been declared in the northern part of the Sinai Peninsula since a militant attack on an Egyptian army checkpoint killed more than 30 soldiers in October 2014.

In February 2015, the Daesh terrorist group released a video that purportedly showed the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians in Libya.