Abu Sayyaf Militants Behead Canadian Hostage
KABUL: (MEP) Abu Sayyad militant group have brutally beheaded a Canadian hostage in the streets of Samal Island in the Philippines.
John Ridsdel, 68, was kidnapped along with three other tourists – fellow Canadian Robert Hall, a Norwegian man and a Filipino woman – last September by the Abu Sayyaf armed group from a marina on Samal Island, also known as Islam Garden.
On Monday, a severed head was found on remote Jolo, hours after the Abu Sayyaf ransom deadline expired. Local authorities said it belonged to a foreign man but have not confirmed whether it belonged to any of the captives.
The Islamist militants had earlier released a video showing Mr Ridsdel and three other captives, and demanded a ransom of $80m (£55m).
Justin Trudeau, Canada’s prime minister, confirmed that a plastic bag containing a decapitated head and dumped in a street on Monday night by two men on a motorcycle in Jolo, a town in Sulu province of the Philippines, was that of John Ridsdel.
He has strongly condemned the killing of Ridsdel and called his death “an act of cold-blooded murder”.
“Canada condemns without reservation the brutality of the hostage takers and this unnecessary death,” Trudeau said from a cabinet retreat in Kananaskis, Alberta.
“This was an act of cold-blooded murder and responsibility rests squarely with the terrorist group who took him hostage.”
Canada is committed to working with the government of Philippines and international partners to pursue those responsible for “this heinous act” and bring them to justice, he said.
