Militant group says it killed U.S. oil worker in Egypt
An Egyptian militant organization aligned with the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for killing an American oil worker.
William Henderson, who worked for the Houston-based energy company Apache Corp., was killed in Egypt's Western Desert on Aug. 6, the SITE Intelligence Group first reported.
"The tragic carjacking incident this past August involving our colleague Bill Henderson is still under investigation by the U.S. government," Apache spokeswoman Castlen Kennedy said Monday in an e-mail to USA TODAY. "Our thoughts and prayers remain with the Henderson family. Out of respect for the family and the ongoing nature of the investigation, I cannot comment further."
The U.S. Embassy declined to comment on the Sinai Province's claim, and the U.S. State Department had no immediate comment.
The militant organization Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, which now calls itself the Sinai Province, claimed responsibility for Henderson's death on its official Twitter account late Sunday. It published pictures of his passport and two identification cards.
The passport says Henderson was 58 and a native Texan. His ID cards say he was a production expert for Qarun Petroleum Co., a joint venture between Apache and the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation.
The Enid News Eagle in northwestern Oklahoma published an obituary for Henderson in August, saying he had "passed suddenly" while working in Karama, Egypt. The article said Henderson was living in Fayetteville, Ark., and that he had worked for Apache for 28 years.
Stephen Jones, lawyer for the Henderson family, said in a statement that the Sinai Province's claim appeared to be true. He said the group apparently is "seeking to advance its political agenda against the Egyptian government by murdering unarmed American grandfathers who are peacefully engaging in their work with an American company in Egypt."
The U.S. and coalition forces have been bombing Islamic State targets in Syria and Iraq for weeks, but no Egyptian locations have been targeted. Jones said the family appreciated the efforts of the FBI and Egyptian authorities investigating Henderson's case.
"His murder is senseless," the statement said. "Other than the symbolic act of murdering in cold blood in broad daylight an unarmed civilian in the middle of the desert, it advances no political goal of the organization responsible for his death, but shows them to be cowards and murderers. Arab and Muslim honor does not condone the murder of innocent civilians."
Contributing: Associated Press