AP Islamic State claim to be holding two men, from Norway and China, hostage

FREE now and never miss the top politics stories again. SUBSCRIBE Invalid email Sign up fornow and never miss the top politics stories again. We will use your email address only for sending you newsletters. Please see our Privacy Notice for details of your data protection rights.

The brutal extremist group, infamous for beheading those they have held captive, posted pictures demanding a ransom for the two men. They identified the hostages as Norwegian Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad, 48, from Oslo and Fan Jinghui, 50, a freelance consultant from Beijing. ISIS' propaganda magazine lists a telegram number for "whoever would like to pay the ransom for his release and transfer". It does not say when or where the two were captured. The pair are both pictured wearing yellow jumpsuits with front, side and back profile photos featured on the slick poster. Details of the captive's home addresses, places and dates of birth and education are revealed alongside their photos.

The accompanying text reads: "To whom it may concern of the crusaders, pagans and their allies, as well as what are referred to as human 'rights' organisations, this Norwegian prisoner was abandoned by his government, which did not do its utmost to purchase his freedom." The same message also appears next to the Chinese prisoner's picture, which goes on to accuse the Chinese government of also 'abandoning' him. Chillingly, the poster also states: "Note: This is a limited time offer." Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg confirmed that a Norwegian citizen had been caputured at the end of January and was being held hostage in Syria, but refused to confirm his name.

FACEBOOK Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad's Facebook post from Syria

FACEBOOK A photo taken by Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad at the Turkey-Syria border

Mr Grimsgaard-Ofstad's activity on Facebook offers some clues as to his whereabouts in the days leading up to his capture. The science and technology graduate posted two photos on Facebook on January 18 from the Turkey-Syria border. Six days later, on January 24, he wrote a final post that he had "made it" to Idlib in Syria, and that he was planning to make the journey to Hama - just days before he is believed to have been kidnapped. Tragically, dozens of friends on Facebook wished him a happy birthday around three weeks after he is thought to have fallen into ISIS hands, not knowing his fate. Idlib province has been at the centre of a two-year struggle between Syrian government forces and Islamist rebels over the strategic Abu al-Duhur airbase. Earlier today, the military site finally fell to a coalition of extremist militants including the al-Nusra Front. Since March, several nearby towns have fallen to Islamist fighters amid heavy fighting in the area. The capture of further hostages raises fears of fresh beheadings. In August, ISIS jihadis beheaded a Croatian hostage in Egypt. The bloodied body of Tomislav Salopek, 30, was pictured lying in the sand alongside the familiar black and white flag of the terror regime.

GOOGLE MAPS Map of Syria showing the Norweigan hostage's last known location, Idlib, circled

At a press conference this evening, the Norwegian PM said the Norwegian government would not be paying a ransom to secure his release. Ms Solberg said: "We were made aware of a potential kidnapping of a Norwegian man in January. "I can now confirm that a Norwegian man in his 40s was kidnapped in Syria in the end of January. "The man has been held captive by several groups and we know that the suspect is being held by ISIS, who have made several demands of various amounts of payment."

She said the Norwegian authorities had created an "emergency response team", adding: "This is a heavy burden to bear and we have given the family support throughout this process. "It is difficult to imagine what they are going through. "We can not and we will not be pressured. We will not pay ransom. "ISIS brutality knows no limits and has driven thousands of people from their home. "ISIS must be stopped and Norway will continue the work against this organisation. "We must now, more than ever, stand united for what we believe in." Chinese officials could not immediately be reached for comment.