BEIJING, Sept. 10 (UPI) — The Chinese government said Thursday it is working to verify a report that claims Islamic State radicals have kidnapped a Chinese and a Norwegian citizen.
According to the militant group’s official online magazine, the Chinese man is a consultant. It wasn’t immediately clear where the men were abducted.
“The Chinese government strongly opposes any violence against innocent civilians,” government spokesman Hong Lei said at a news briefing Thursday, the state-runXinhua news agency reported.
On the Islamic State website, the Chinese man is only identified by a number stenciled on his jumpsuit. A New York Times report Thursday identified him as 50-year-old Fan Jinghui. The Norwegian, Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad, 48, was also listed online.
It was not initially known whether Beijing plans to take steps to rescue Fan, as it has a similar “no negotiation” policy as most nations.
Fan is the first Chinese citizen to be captured by the Islamic State. Both he and the Norwegian are listed on the group’s website for sale.
