Freelance consultant Fan Jinghui, 50, and Ole-Johan Grimsgaard Ofstad, 48, were put “up for sale” in September on Daqib magazine. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg condemn the “barbaric act”.

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) – The Islamic State (IS) group executed a 50-year-old Chinese man, Fan Jinghui, and Ole-Johan  Grimsgaard Ofstad, 48, from Norway, this according to the IS magazine Daqib, which shows the victims’ pictured alive and dead. It appears the two were killed with a firearm.

The magazine’s English edition says that they were "executed after being abandoned by the kafir [infidels] nations and organizations."

Earlier, in September, pictures of the two hostages had been published wearing an ‘up for sale’ sign, with an implicit ransom demand for their release (pictured). IS had never made such an explicit request before.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, in Manila for the APEC meeting, issued a statement condemning Mr Fan’s killing, promising to "fight against any violent terrorism attacks that challenge human civilisation.”

Xi sent his condolences to Mr Fan’s family, a freelance consultant with an advertising agency in western Beijing.

For her part, Norwegian Prime Minister  Erna Solberg said, “"There are no excuses for the treatment our countryman has been subjected to; it can't be found in religion, nor ideology.”

“This is a despicable and barbaric act," she added.

• china
• islam
• islamic
• state
• terrorism
• hostages
• ransom
• paris
• syria