Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) loyalists appear to have murdered their first western hostage in Egypt.
Tomislav Salopek, 31, was kidnapped in the early hours of July 22 as his car left Cairo. He reappeared last week in a video released by the extremist group.
On Wednesday, a photograph showing what appeared to be Mr Salopek’s body was circulating on the social media accounts of Isil loyalists. The image could not immediately be verified.
The Isil-affiliated group, known as Sinai Province, had set a 48-hour deadline last Wednesday for Egyptian president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to release female Muslim prisoners, warning that they would kill Mr Salopek if their demands were not met.
Isil sympathisers shared the macabre countdown on social media as the deadline expired. Several accounts carried images of knives alongside the message: “Croatia participated in the war with the Islamic State”. » | Louisa Loveluck | Wednesday, August 12, 2015
