IS militants in Egypt threaten to kill Croatian citizen in new video

CAIRO, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- Islamic State militants in Egypt released a video Wednesday where they threaten to kill a kidnapped Croatian citizen unless the government releases female prisoners.

Thirty-year-old Croatian citizen Tomislav Salopek is seen in the video, kneeling down next to a masked Islamic State (IS) militant holding a knife. The video was posted on Twitter accounts linked to the IS and features Salopek saying that the organization demands the release of Muslim women in Egyptian prisons. If their demands are not met within 48 hours, Salopek will be killed.

Jihadist watchdog organization SITE Intel Group verified the source and claims of the video.

It has not been verified where exactly the video was shot.

The video and kidnapping has been coordinated by a group calling itself Sinai Province, who nabbed Salopek on July 22. This group pledged allegiance to the IS following the ousting of President Mohamed Morsi in 2013. It also assumed responsibility for various terrorists attacks in Egypt throughout 2014. The kidnapping marks the first such act for the group.

Croatia's foreign ministry had reported in July that one of its staffers was kidnapped. That report identified an individual with the same initials as Salopek. Salopek works for France's CGG Ardiseis, which works in the oil and gas sector. Salopek, like other diplomats, has a branch office in the Maadi suburb of Cairo in Egypt.

The news comes just before the country is to announce a new extension of the Suez Canal on Thursday.

Egypt is now primarily Muslim and holds thousands of Islamists and Muslim Brotherhood militants in prison.