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This is confirmed by police lawyer Espen Hanken, in the international crimes section of Kripos.
Kripos still has an open investigation into the murder, which took place in Syria in November 2015.
Police lawyer Espen Hanken in Kripos.
Photo: Olav Døvik
– We want to find out as much as possible about what happened to him and provide more information about the people who may have been involved, Hanken tells NRK.
Kripos has shared so-called ante-mortem information with US forces in the area, which are involved in identifying the remains.
There is information that should be adequate to identify people. It can be typical DNA or, for example, dental health information.
Local authorities inform the NRK that 28 mass graves have been found in areas previously controlled by the IS terror group.
– That work has been done for a long time. So far they haven’t found it, Hanken says.
– Why is it important to find it?
– I think it’s important to find him, especially for the sake of the relatives. That they can somehow get a clarification. In that sense, it is an important focus for us. In addition, you can provide additional information that is also important for the investigation itself.
The family’s welfare attorney says they hope Kripos will get the mediators they need to complete the case.
– We hope Kripos finds the remains so the family has a grave to go to, says NRK development assistance lawyer Hans Erik Dybfest.
EN sales advertisement published
In January 2015, the Norwegian Ole Johan Grimsgaard-Ofstad traveled to Syria. At this point, the danger of being taken hostage was imminent, and it wasn’t long before an unknown rebel group kidnapped the Norwegian.
After a couple of months, Grimsgaard-Ofstad was resold to IS. The year before, the terror group had really gained the world’s attention by beheading hostages in front of an open chamber.
As NRK has previously revealed, IS first demanded 10 million euros in ransom from the Norwegian. Subsequently, the terrorist group lowered the claim to 3 million euros.
During the negotiations, the Norwegian was tortured by IS. The terrorist group first cut off his left thumb. Subsequently, they removed all the fingers from his right hand and sent a video to the Foreign Ministry in Oslo of the mutilation.
The Norwegian authorities refused at all times to pay the ransom, something for which Grimsgaard-Ofstad’s parents have criticized the Norwegian authorities.
Finally, IS placed a sale advertisement in the propaganda magazine Dabiq. Grimsgaard-Ofstad was depicted in a yellow prisoner’s suit with the text ‘Norwegian prisoner for sale’.
In November, IS posted a new photo of Grimsgaard-Ofstad. Then he was assassinated.
Such was the hunt for the IS Jihad John executioner, who probably kept the Norwegian Ole John Grimsgaard-Ofstad captured in Syria. Watch the mini-documentary on how they finally found him.
2000 DNA samples taken
ISIS victims were thrown into mass graves. As the Islamic State has gradually lost control of its territories in Syria, mass graves have been found regularly in the area.
The last grave was found last week.
Humanitarian workers recover a body from a mass grave in February 2019. Children and women are also among the victims.
Photo: Eirik Veum / NRK
So far, 27 mass graves have been dug and several thousand bodies have been recovered from the ground, according to Yasser Al Khamis. He is a member of the Raqqa Civil Council and leads the group that works on mass graves.
– We have taken 2000 DNA samples, which we have shared with the international coalition against IS. We are still waiting for the test results, Al Khamis tells NRK.
He says they have found several remains dressed in the characteristic orange prison suits that IS wears.
– The lawsuits indicate that people have been executed, he tells NRK.
IS members extradited to the United States
Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh have been extradited to the United States on charges of torturing and killing several American hostages in Syria.
Photo: Hussein Malla / APPhoto: Hussein Malla / AP
Earlier this fall, two former British citizens were extradited to the United States. They are believed to have made up half of the Islamic State cell that the hostages called “The Beatles.”
– It is an important clarification also for us that Alexanda Kotey and El Shafee Elsheikh have now been transferred to the United States to be processed there for the murder of American hostages. Over time, we have also deemed it relevant on our part that these are questioned in our investigation in an attempt to shed more light on the case, says police attorney Espen Hanken in Kripos.
Kripos says it may be relevant to send someone from Norway to question him about the hostage-taking and murder of Grimsgaard-Ofstad. This will not be part of a lawsuit in the US.
– As the legislation is now in the United States, there will be a criminal trial for the murder of American hostages that will take place there. As I understand it, US law does not allow the killing of hostages of other nationalities to be included there.
Several western hostages
– It is important to investigate this type of case because it is a serious incident against a Norwegian citizen, an extremely serious deprivation of liberty over time and subsequent murder, says Hanken.
– There were several countries that were affected by a similar hostage-taking before that, in 2014. There are incidents of such gravity that it is important that we do what we can to be prosecuted and also for the good of the family, being informed matters as much as possible.
The Norwegian police have not yet sent anyone to Syria to search for the Norwegian.
– Until now, none of us have traveled for that purpose.
