MEP: A second Canadian hostage has been brutally beheaded by the radical Islamist separatist group Abu Sayyaf.
The government of the Philippines confirmed the execution of Robert Hall on Tuesday who had been held hostage by the militant group on a remote southern island with three other people since September 2015.
Hall was confirmed dead on Monday by a military source who spoke to Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity prior to the official announcement.
Philippine President Benigno Aquino said in a statement issued by his communications secretary: “We strongly condemn the brutal and senseless murder of Mr. Robert Hall, after being held captive by the Abu Sayyaf group in Sulu for the past nine months.”
“It is with deep sadness and anger that I can report we have reason to believe that a Canadian citizen, Robert Hall has been killed by his captors,” Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. “Canada holds the terrorist group who took Mr. Hall hostage fully responsible for this cold-blooded and senseless murder.”
Hall was taken captive by the militants with three others from an upscale resort on Samal island, hundreds of miles east of Jolo. Another Canadian who was held captive, former mining executive John Ridsdel, was executed by the group in April.
A Norwegian man and a Filipina are still being held.
Members of the notorious kidnap-for-ransom Abu Sayyaf gang had said they would murder Hall if they did not receive 300 million pesos ($6.5 million) ransom by Monday afternoon.
