ISIS demands ransom for Norwegian and Chinese victims
The hostage crisis in the Middle East has become even more worrisome than ever as ISIS, the infamous Islamic State group, demands a ransom for two hostages, a Norwegian and a Chinese.
A poster that reads "for sale" appeared in the most recent edition of the ISIS magazine Dubiq, and it was asking for an undisclosed amount in order to pay for the hostages' release and transfer. The men in the poster were wearing yellow prison clothes and had all pertinent information on tags. However, there is a warning at the bottom of the poster that sayes the sale is a limited offer. The poster even had an Islamic number listed for anyone interested.
Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad is the name of the Norwegian man. He is 48 years old and is from Oslo. Fan Jinghui, on the other hand, is the name of the Chinese man. He is a 50-year-old freelance consultant from Beijing.
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Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg confirmed that there was indeed a Norwegian man being held hostage in Syria. She explained why the country would not pay the ransom. "This is a matter that the government is taking very seriously. We neither can nor will give in to pressure from terrorists and criminals. Norway does not pay ransom," she said. "This is a principle we cannot depart from in the face of cynical terrorists. Payment of ransom would increase the risk that other Norwegian nationals will be taken hostage," she said.
But she did add that despite her country's reluctance to pay the ransom, the Norwegian authorities are working with different parties from various countries in an effort to secure the release of the hostage. She also said that it is the country's goal to get their citizen home, but she alluded to the fact that this case is very demanding.
The Chinese government could not be reached for comment. Here's hoping for a more peaceful resolution to the continuing conflict.
