Trudeau condemns killing of Canadian hostage in Philippines
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Islamist militants in the Philippines have killed Canadian hostage John Ridsdel in what Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has condemned as an act of “cold-blooded murder”.
Canada condemns without reservation the brutality of the hostage takers and this unnecessary death
The Philippine army said a severed head was found on a remote island on Monday, just hours after a ransom deadline expired.
“I am outraged by the news that a Canadian citizen, John Ridsdel, held hostage in the Philippines since September 21, 2015, has been killed at the hands of his captors,” Trudeau said in a statement.
“Canada condemns without reservation the brutality of the hostage takers and this unnecessary death.”
Watch Trudeau's statement on the killing of a Canadian captive in the Philippines https://t.co/m3MZIDa1qKpic.twitter.com/mXJyc8iPaA
— The Globe and Mail (@globeandmail) 25 avril 2016
Former mining executive Ridsdel, 68, was abducted while on holiday near the city of Davao in September 2015 and taken to the island of Jolo, a stronghold of the small but violent al Qaeda-linked group Abu Sayyaf, known for beheadings, bombings and extortion.
Kidnappers seized him, another Canadian, a Norwegian and a Filipino woman from a yacht at an upmarket resort – demanding millions of dollars for their release.