Tomislav Salopek, a kidnapped Croatian national who was abducted in July near Cairo by an ISIS-related group, is now feared dead after images appeared online showing him in the now familiar setting of an Islamic extremist beheading.
Salopek, 30, was an engineer working for a French-owned company when he was taken July 22, said Croatian and company officials. The SITE Intelligence Group said Wednesday that he appeared to be the person in the images, according to
CNN.
"We cannot confirm with 100 percent certainty that it is true," said Croatian Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic. "... However, what we have seen ... doesn't look good. It looks horrible."
A photo reportedly showing Salopek's body was later posted on Twitter by an account connected to the group called Sinai Province,
according to the BBC News. The body appeared to be in the desert next to a knife stuck in the sand and with a banner associated with ISIS.
The Sinai Province, which pledged its allegiance to ISIS in November 2014, is currently the most active insurgent group in Egypt. It has been connected to attacks in North Sinai, Cairo and other Egyptian provinces.
The Sinai Province was originally known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis (Supporters of Jerusalem) and has been active since 2011.
CNN reported that a video was distributed Aug. 5 with a hostage who identified himself as Salopek reading from a paper and saying he worked for a French geoscience firm. His captors said in the video that they would kill him if Egypt didn't release female Muslim prisoners within 48 hours.
Some questioned if Salopek's death could hurt Egypt economically because he was kidnapped in that country,
reported The Associated Press.
"It's obviously bad for the perceptions foreign investors have of Egypt, and I think it's probably bad for the perceptions that potential tourists have," said Hani Sabra, the Middle East and North Africa head of risk consultancy Eurasia Group.
"This increases the perception that North Africa as a region is unstable across the board – Libya, Tunisia, Egypt. This is something the authorities will use to advance the narrative that they've pushed that they are fighting ruthless, bloodthirsty terrorists," he added.
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