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Canadian hostage John Ridsdel killed by militants in the Philippines | Canadian hostage John Ridsdel killed by militants in the Philippines |
(about 9 hours later) | |
The Canadian Prime Minister has condemned the killing of a Canadian hostage by Islamic militants in Philippines, calling the beheading "an act of cold-blood murder". | |
John Ridsdel, 68, has been killed by Abu Sayyaf militants in the Philippines. | |
Justin Trudeau said in a statement: “Canada condemns without reservation the brutality of the hostage-takers and this unnecessary death. | |
“This was an act of cold-blooded murder and responsibility rests squarely with the terrorist group who took him hostage. | |
“The government of Canada is committed to working with the government of the Philippines and international partners to pursue those responsible for this heinous act.” | “The government of Canada is committed to working with the government of the Philippines and international partners to pursue those responsible for this heinous act.” |
While spending his vacation in the Philippines, Ridsdel, a semi-retired mining executive, was captured along with several others by the militants in September 2015. | |
The Philippine army found a severed head inside a plastic bag on Monday in Jolo, a capital in Southern Philippines. | |
The discovery came just five hours after the deadline for ransom had expired, CBS News reports. | |
Kidnappers were demanding 300 million pesos ($6.5 million) for each of the three Canadian men held captive. | |
Abu Sayyaf, which means "bearer of the sword" in Arabic, is a small radical Islamic separatist group which split from the larger Moro National Liberation Front in 1991, reports the BBC. | |
Bob Rae, a friend of Mr Ridsdel, said: "It's just very hard. I've been involved behind the scenes for the last six months trying to find a solution and it's been very painful." | |