Islamic State/Norway/China - Islamic State said it had killed a Norwegian and a Chinese captive, showing what appeared to be pictures of the dead men under a banner reading "Executed" in the latest edition of its English language magazine. It did not give any details in the online Dabiq magazine, published on the 18 Nov 15 about how, when or where the men were killed. Norway's Prime Minister Erna Solberg told a news conference in Oslo that the Norwegian man, named by the foreign ministry as Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad, had most likely been killed. In September, Solberg said a Norwegian had been held hostage in Syria since January and was believed to be in the hands of Islamic State, which has seized large swathes of Syria and Iraq. "We condemn the killing," Solberg said, adding the government.
Foreign Minister Boerge Brende added that the government had no grounds to doubt the photos that had been published. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Beijing was "greatly shocked" by the reports, but was still seeking verification of the execution of the Chinese national. In a statement on the ministry's website, Hong said the government had been trying to secure. The militant group had previously identified the Chinese man as Fan Jinghui and said he was a 50-year-old freelance consultant from Beijing, but the Chinese government has not confirmed his identity. The state-run Beijing News said Fan was probably a former advertising executive who lived in a western suburb of Beijing, but that his company shut down in 2003. It is not clear why he had gone to the Middle East.
The Chinese government says that some Uighurs, a mostly Muslim people from China's far western region of Xinjiang, have gone to fight with radical groups in the Middle East. Solberg said in September that Norway did not intend to pay a ransom for Grimsgaard-Ofstad's release. She had said the man was in his 40s and had been held by several groups since he was first captured. In the previous issue of the Dabiq magazine, Islamic State showed pictures of two men who it said were Norwegian and Chinese, wearing yellow suits and with shaved heads. It said their governments had "abandoned" them, but that they were "for sale" and ransom payments. It identified Grimsgaard-Ofstad as a candidate for a masters degree in political science born in 1967.
Iran/Iraq/Da’esh – Iranian security forces have arrested members of a jihadist cell linked with the Islamic State group near the country's western borders with Iraq, the head of the Revolutionary Guards said on the 22 Nov 15. Quoted by the ISNA news agency, General Mohammad Ali Jafari said Iranian security forces were monitoring attempts by militants to "create insecurity" in Iran. "ISIS has multi-layered support networks. One such network was identified in Kermanshah province (in western Iran) and its members were arrested," Jafari told reporters. He provided no details on how many people were arrested or when the arrests took place. "The rest of the groups are also on our intelligence radar and they will be dealt with as necessary," Jafari said.
The Revolutionary Guards Corps, which is independent of the army, has advisory missions in Iraq and Syria at the invitation of the Baghdad and Damascus governments. Jafari said the chances were small of jihadists being able to carry out major attacks in Iran like those that left 130 dead in Paris earlier this month. "With our security precautions, it is unlikely that Da’esh could perform large actions in Iran," he said. "Of course, they might carry out small actions, but they cannot create insecurity in Iran as they do in other countries." Asked about Russia's launching of air strikes in Syria in late September, Jafari said "Russia was the first regional power that realised the threat" from ISIS. "They understood this danger quicker than the Westerners," he said. "Of course, every country that feels the danger of this threat... can join this fight and a union is forming among countries faced with the danger" of ISIS. His remarks came on the eve of a visit to Tehran by Russian President Vladimir Putin that is expected to be dominated by discussion of Syria and efforts against ISIS.
Israel – The bodies of six Sudanese migrants who had been shot dead were found in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula near the Israeli border on the 23 Nov 15 security and health officials said. Eleven Sudanese were also wounded by gunshots as the group attempted to reach Israel, officials said. The circumstances of the shooting were not immediately clear. The Sinai Peninsula, where Egyptian authorities are battling a jihadist insurgency, is a major route for African migrants trying to reach Israel. On the 15 Nov 15 the bodies of 15 African migrants were found near the Israeli border after they were shot dead. Egypt border police often shot dead and wounded migrants at the border as they tried to cross into Israel between 2009 and 2011. The northern part of the peninsula has been the stronghold of a jihadist insurgency since the military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
Foreign Minister Boerge Brende added that the government had no grounds to doubt the photos that had been published. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said Beijing was "greatly shocked" by the reports, but was still seeking verification of the execution of the Chinese national. In a statement on the ministry's website, Hong said the government had been trying to secure. The militant group had previously identified the Chinese man as Fan Jinghui and said he was a 50-year-old freelance consultant from Beijing, but the Chinese government has not confirmed his identity. The state-run Beijing News said Fan was probably a former advertising executive who lived in a western suburb of Beijing, but that his company shut down in 2003. It is not clear why he had gone to the Middle East.
The Chinese government says that some Uighurs, a mostly Muslim people from China's far western region of Xinjiang, have gone to fight with radical groups in the Middle East. Solberg said in September that Norway did not intend to pay a ransom for Grimsgaard-Ofstad's release. She had said the man was in his 40s and had been held by several groups since he was first captured. In the previous issue of the Dabiq magazine, Islamic State showed pictures of two men who it said were Norwegian and Chinese, wearing yellow suits and with shaved heads. It said their governments had "abandoned" them, but that they were "for sale" and ransom payments. It identified Grimsgaard-Ofstad as a candidate for a masters degree in political science born in 1967.
Iran/Iraq/Da’esh – Iranian security forces have arrested members of a jihadist cell linked with the Islamic State group near the country's western borders with Iraq, the head of the Revolutionary Guards said on the 22 Nov 15. Quoted by the ISNA news agency, General Mohammad Ali Jafari said Iranian security forces were monitoring attempts by militants to "create insecurity" in Iran. "ISIS has multi-layered support networks. One such network was identified in Kermanshah province (in western Iran) and its members were arrested," Jafari told reporters. He provided no details on how many people were arrested or when the arrests took place. "The rest of the groups are also on our intelligence radar and they will be dealt with as necessary," Jafari said.
The Revolutionary Guards Corps, which is independent of the army, has advisory missions in Iraq and Syria at the invitation of the Baghdad and Damascus governments. Jafari said the chances were small of jihadists being able to carry out major attacks in Iran like those that left 130 dead in Paris earlier this month. "With our security precautions, it is unlikely that Da’esh could perform large actions in Iran," he said. "Of course, they might carry out small actions, but they cannot create insecurity in Iran as they do in other countries." Asked about Russia's launching of air strikes in Syria in late September, Jafari said "Russia was the first regional power that realised the threat" from ISIS. "They understood this danger quicker than the Westerners," he said. "Of course, every country that feels the danger of this threat... can join this fight and a union is forming among countries faced with the danger" of ISIS. His remarks came on the eve of a visit to Tehran by Russian President Vladimir Putin that is expected to be dominated by discussion of Syria and efforts against ISIS.
Israel – The bodies of six Sudanese migrants who had been shot dead were found in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula near the Israeli border on the 23 Nov 15 security and health officials said. Eleven Sudanese were also wounded by gunshots as the group attempted to reach Israel, officials said. The circumstances of the shooting were not immediately clear. The Sinai Peninsula, where Egyptian authorities are battling a jihadist insurgency, is a major route for African migrants trying to reach Israel. On the 15 Nov 15 the bodies of 15 African migrants were found near the Israeli border after they were shot dead. Egypt border police often shot dead and wounded migrants at the border as they tried to cross into Israel between 2009 and 2011. The northern part of the peninsula has been the stronghold of a jihadist insurgency since the military overthrew Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
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