BREAKING NEWS

Beijing vows justice after Islamic State executes Chinese captive

By REUTERS

NOVEMBER 19, 2015 04:53

BEIJING - China vowed on Thursday to "bring to justice" those responsible for executing one of its citizens after Islamic State said it had killed a Chinese captive, the first and so far only known Chinese hostage held by the group.

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 Wednesday, about how, when or where the men were killed.

In a brief statement, China's Foreign Ministry confirmed the man's identify for the first time, naming him as Fan Jinghui, saying he had been "cruelly murdered". It said in September one of its citizens appeared to be in Islamic State captivity.

After he was kidnapped, the Chinese government activated an emergency mechanism to try and "rescue" him, but he was still killed in a "cold-blooded way", the ministry said.

"The Chinese government strongly condemns this savage act devoid of humanity and will certainly bring the criminals to justice," it added.

"The Chinese government will resolutely oppose all forms of terrorism, and resolutely strike at any violent terrorist criminal activities that defy the bottom lines of human culture," the statement said.

"China will continue to strengthen anti-terrorism cooperation with the international community to maintain peace and tranquility in the world."

The militant group had previously identified Fan as a 50-year-old freelance consultant from Beijing.

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.

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