Two reasons why the Croat was kidnapped

Terrorism experts, in an analysis for the Egyptian portal “Sedam dana” (Seven Days), stated that the kidnapping of Tomislav Salopek was organized for several reasons, reports the Patria news agency.

The first of these reasons is to create a crisis between Egypt and foreign countries, and the second is to spoil the ceremony of opening the new Suez Canal route, a project with which President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi wants to make Egypt an “economic power” and consolidate his power, reports "Jutarnji".

“This is a process carried out to spoil the opening of the new Suez Canal because this canal confirms the legitimacy of the current regime in Egypt and represents a major economic power on the world map,” said Kamal Habib, an expert on Islamist organizations.

He adds that the new Suez Canal "unites the people under the current political leadership". Experts for the Egyptian portal further state that Egyptian security services have launched a search for the location where the kidnappers are holding the hostage, with the information provided by the driver being valuable to them.

"The driver provided a detailed specification of the criminals, the dialect they spoke, and the type of weapons they possessed," the portal states.

Information indicates that the kidnappers' goal is to disrupt public peace and create a crisis between Egypt and foreign countries, the portal writes.

Habib predicts that neither Egypt nor Croatia will negotiate with "Daash" (which is another name for the Islamic State).

"I expect them to maintain their stance against terrorism and that there will be no hesitation from either the Croatian or the Egyptian government."

Hisham al-Najar, an expert on Islamic organizations, also believes that ISIS timed the kidnapping with the opening of the Suez Canal because the world's eyes were on Egypt at the time, and it took advantage of the opportunity.

Najar points out, based on the confessions of some individuals, that numerous cells are not connected to any organization but aim to coordinate financial aid, exchange information, and weapons with the Islamic State.