ISIS says Norwegian, Chinese hostages are “for sale”
The Islamic State has placed an “advertisement” on its English language magazine, Dabiq, announcing that the Norwegian and Chinese hostages it is holding are "for sale" for their release. The offer was for “a limited time only” and a phone number attached.
In Oslo, Prime Minister Erna Solberg confirmed a Norwegian citizen was being held, and insisted that “Norway does not pay ransoms.” He identified the hostage as 48-year old Ole-Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad, connected with a university in Trondheim, and said he had been abducted shortly after arriving in Syria in January. The Chinese hostage was identified as Fan Jinghui, a 50-year-old consultant.