Speaking in the Croatian coastal town of Rijeka, Vesna Pusic said Thursday the captors requested money from the company Salopek worked for. Then contact was broken and on Aug. 5 a video emerged showing Salopek as a hostage of the Islamic State branch in Egypt.
Salopek's killing is the first of a foreign captive in Egypt, where the government has been struggling to project an image of stability and revive the economy following years of unrest.
Pusic said authorities still could not confirm the killing with certainty.