IS claims killing of Croatian in Egypt

CAIRO – A Croatian hostage abducted in Egypt by Islamic State militants 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 expansion of the Suez Canal in a much-hyped ceremony attended by international dignitaries.

It will also likely 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 IS 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 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,” and 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 IS 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 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.

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 extremism.

Concerns were also raised about the economic impact on the country.

“This increases the perception that North Africa as a region is unstable across the board – Libya, Tunisia, Egypt,” said Hani Sabra, Middle East and North Africa head of the New York-based risk consultancy Eurasia Group, adding that he didn’t think it would undermine el-Sissi’s government domestically.

The Associated Press could not verify the image, though it bore markings consistent with the filmed hostage demand released last week by Egypt’s Islamic State affiliate, the Sinai Province of the Islamic State.

Egypt has seen an increase in violence since the ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, with attacks by suspected Islamic extremists in both the Sinai Peninsula and the mainland focusing primarily on security forces.

But this would be the first time the local Islamic State affiliate has captured and then beheaded a foreigner in Egypt, a major escalation as the country tries to rebuild its crucial tourism industry after years of unrest following the 2011 revolt that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak.