ISIS announced on Wednesday it had executed two hostages, publishing images in its English-language magazine that appeared to show a Chinese and a Norwegian citizen had been shot to death.
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They are identified as Fan Jinghui of China and Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad from Norway.
“China strongly condemns the brutality of the killing of Chinese national by the Islamic State extremists”, Mainland China leader Xi Jinping said in Manila while attending an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting.
China’s foreign ministry said on Thursday it would “bring to justice” those responsible for executing the Chinese national, confirming the man’s identity as Fan Jinghui for the first time.
Both men beencaptured and heldhostage by the group in Syriaand are believed to havebeenshot to death. He added that China opposes terrorism of all forms and would “resolutely crack down on any terrorist crimes that challenges the bottom line of human civilisation”. He is the first Chinese hostage to be killed by the Islamic State.
Several Chinese media outlets including the Beijing News said Fan is a 50-year-old teacher turned advertising consultant.
“Terrorism is the common enemy faced by all humanity”, said Hong.
“It seems most likely that the Chinese government will continue to stay on the sidelines”, said Professor Xie Tao, of Beijing Foreign Studies University.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group has claimed it killed one Norwegian and one Chinese captive, and that it downed the Russian airliner over Egypt with explosives hidden in a soda can.
The veteran, who was under the impression Mr. Grimsgaard-Ofstad was a freelance reporter who wanted to write articles about the Syrian conflict, said he advised him against going to Syria.
Chinese construction companies are involved in many major building projects overseas and are willing to go to many unstable places in the Middle East and Africa where other global companies decline to go.
On Thursday, China voiced “great shock” over the execution of Fan and vowed to bring his murderers to justice. One day my country will get rid of these animals”, wrote NV Motou on the Sina Weibo social network, while another commentator, Wuyu Lunbi, said: “When are we going to send our fighters there?
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The men were killed “after being abandoned by the Kafir [infidel] nations and organizations”, the magazine says.
