Tomislav Salopek: Croatian abducted in Egypt

Tomislav Salopek was in Egypt "exclusively to earn bread for his children", his father said

Tomislav Salopek, a 31-year-old father of two from Croatia, worked as a surveyor working in Egypt for French firm CGG, which specialises in the exploration and production of gas and oil.

He was on his way to work on a highway west of Cairo on 22 July when his car was stopped by a group of armed men.

The Croatian foreign ministry said the group "forced him to get out of the car and drove away with him in an unknown direction".

Mr Salopek was not heard from again until he appeared in a video last week from Sinai Province, the new Egypt-based affiliate of the Islamic State group.

Speaking in English, he confirmed his identity and said the militant group had threatened to kill him unless the Egyptian government released all female Muslim prisoners.

Following the release of the video, Ardiseis Egypt, a subsidiary of CGG, confirmed he was one of their employees.

Zlatko Salopek, Tomislav's father, in an appeal for his son's release, had said his only motivation "to go to your homeland was exclusively to earn bread for his children. Nothing else".

He is reported to have been married for eight years and, according to AFP news agency, he was described as a friendly young man by neighbours in his home town in Croatia.

It is not clear how long Mr Salopek had been in Egypt, but according to his Linkedin profile he had been working for CGG since last December.

His career profile shows he was no stranger to the region.

Last year, he spent eight months working as a surveyor in Libya for the North African Geophysical Exploration Company (Nageco).

He had also spent time in Syria, Morocco and Iraq.

Announcing his alleged beheading on social media, alongside the publication of a gruesome photo, the militant group said Mr Salopek was killed for Croatia's "participation in the war against the Islamic State".