Islamic State said in the latest edition of its English language magazine yesterday that it had killed a Chinese and a Norwegian captive, showing what appeared to be pictures of the dead men under a banner reading “Executed”.

The Norwegian Foreign Ministry declined to comment.

In September, Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said a Norwegian man had been held hostage in Syria since January and was believed to be in the hands of Islamic State.

She said Norway did not intend to pay a ransom for his release. Ms Solberg said the man, named as Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad, was in his 40s and had been held by several groups since he was first captured.

China’s Foreign Ministry also said in September that one of its citizens appeared to be in Islamic State captivity.

In an issue of the magazine, Dabiq, Islamic State showed pictures of two men who it said were Norwegian and Chinese, wearing yellow suits and with shaved heads. It said their governments had abandoned them but that they were “for sale” and ransom payments could secure their release.