Croatian Foreign Minsiter Pusic travels to Egypt in desperate attempt to free hostage from ISIS

Zagreb, 6 August 2015 (MIA) - Croatian Foreign Affairs Minister Vesna Pusic is in Cairo in an urgent attempt to secure the release of Tomislav Salopek, a Croatian geo-engineer, who was kidnapped by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria. The ISIS group, that has gained notoriety for brutal executions of captives, published a video threatening to kill Salopek in two days unless a number of women Islamists arrested by the Egyptian authorities are not released.

"Deputy Prime Minister Pusic is in contact with the Egyptian Foreign Affairs Minister, and in agreement with him and the recommendations, is travelling to Cairo", the Croatian Government informed. Pusic will travel together with Salopek's wife. The young man, who was working for a French engineering company, has two young children.

The Islamists posted a picture of him, kneeling in an orange jumpsuit in front of the ISIS black flag, while an Islamist fighter holds a knife. The Croat was kidnapped in the region of Sinai, a hotbed of Islamist activity in Egypt where the army has often cracked down on groups that stage attacks on tourist resorts. Tensions in Egypt intensified following the Arab Spring revolution that brought the Muslim Brotherhood to power for a year, with the army eventually taking over to stop the introduction of pro-Islamist legal changes in the country.