STAVANGER, Norway (AP) – A Norwegian man held hostage by Islamic State militants was a graduate student in political philosophy whose Facebook feed shows a long-held interest in Middle East conflicts and Norse mythology.
Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad’s last communicated via his Facebook page on Jan. 24, announcing he had “finally made it” to Syria and was on his way to Hama. His prolific posting subsequently stopped.
Norwegian Foreign Minister Boerge Brende confirmed Thursday that the 48-year-old had been held since January, and that a picture shown in the latest issue of the militants’ online magazine Dabiq, showing Grimsgaard-Ofstad in a yellow jumpsuit was believed to be recent.
The magazine lists a telegram number for “whoever would like to pay the ransom for his release and transfer.”
“Based on our analysis of the image published, and the information we have, it is our assessment that the photo was taken during the last month,” said Brende. “We are working on the basis that he is still alive.”