It was unclear when Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad, 48, from Oslo, and Fan Jinghui, a 50-year-old freelance consultant from Beijing, had been taken captive by the extremist group. They were depicted as being dressed in yellow jump suits in photos in Dabiq in September, when news emerged of their capture.
Norway’s Prime Minister on Wednesday said the pictures published by ISIL indicated Mr. Grimsgaard-Ofstad had been killed, but that Norwegian experts were still trying to verify if the pictures were authentic. “We have so far no reason to doubt the content” of the pictures, Prime Minister Erna Solberg told a news conference. If Mr. Grimsgaard-Ofstad had in fact been executed, “this is a coldblooded murder,” she said, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Ms. Solberg said she condemned the “despicable and barbaric” killing of her countryman and said Mr. Grimsgaard-Ofstad’s family had the compassion of the Norwegian people. “I have been in contact with his family this afternoon, in this situation of despair. There is no excuse for the treatment our countryman has been subject to, neither in religion nor ideology,” Ms. Solberg said.
China’s foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei confirmed the Chinese man in the pictures was Mr. Fan, in a statement released Thursday morning. “We mourn the deceased and express deep condolences to his family,” the statement said, adding that it had undertaken efforts to rescue him. “The Chinese government strongly condemns this inhuman brutality. The criminals will be brought to justice.”
Chinese President Xi Jinping, currently attending a regional summit in the Philippines, condemned the killing, expressed condolences to the victim’s relatives and vowed China would strike back at all terrorist activity that undermined humanity, according to state media.
Ransom demands had been made for both men. The Norwegian government had declined to pay, with Prime Minister Erna Solberg saying paying would increase risks for other Norwegians. The Chinese government said in September that it was taking emergency steps in response to reports one of its citizens had been kidnapped, but it didn’t elaborate.
“Our son and my brother was kidnapped and has been held hostage in Syria since January,” Mr. Grimsgaard-Ofstad’s parents and sister said in a statement on Wednesday, describing their hope, despair, and sorrow. “He was maimed twice. ISIL first removed the thumb on his left hand, then all the fingers of his right hand.”
Norway’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Børge Brende said the mutilation of prisoners to collect ransom was showing the real face of ISIL. “The abuse Mr. Grimsgaard-Ofstad suffered has put a terrible strain on the family,” Mr. Brende told reporters in Oslo Wednesday. “Videos and images of the abuse were sent to us, along with demands of ransom.”
In its notice in September, ISIL advertised a “Chinese prisoner for sale,” listing Mr. Fan’s birthday and address. A neighbor contacted by The Wall Street Journal in September at the man’s address in China said she hadn’t seen Mr. Fan for some time, adding that his wife was a teacher at a local school. Another teacher at that school said her colleague’s husband had been taken hostage but declined to provide more information, saying the school had told teachers not to talk to the media.
Calls to a mobile phone listed under his wife’s name on the school website rang unanswered on Thursday. A teacher at the school confirmed that she still worked there. “She’s very tough and has come to terms with the situation,” the teacher said.
These undated photos taken from ISIL's online magazine in September purport to show Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad from Oslo, left, and Fan Jinghui from Beijing.
The family of Mr. Grimsgaard-Ofstad in September pleaded for his liberation, saying they were unable to pay the ransom.
Neither the Norwegian government nor Mr. Grimsgaard-Ofstad’s relatives said why he had traveled to Syria. A Norwegian military veteran said in September that Mr. Grimsgaard-Ofstad had called him to ask for travel advice.
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. “I told him to rethink it and to think about his family,” the veteran, Terje Sæterbo, had said at the time.
Norway is a part of a military coalition fighting ISIL and has contributed 120 military officers to help train Iraqi security forces.