Canadian executed by Abu Sayyaf bandits in Jolo: Trudeau
OTTAWA, CANADA - (UPDATE 2 - 11:43 a.m.) A Canadian held hostage by Islamic militants in the Philippines has been executed, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday, after Filipino authorities said they had found the head of a foreign man on a remote island.
"I'm 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.
"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 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."
Police in Sulu confirmed Ridsdel's death in a spot report that said two unidentified men on a motorcycle had hurled a plastic bag containing the victim's head at a group of young men about to play basketball at the corner of Mayor Sali Yusah and Sari Ahmad Isnani Streets, Barangay Walled City, Jolo around 7:35 p.m. Monday.
A day after Ridsdel’s execution, the government and the security services, which had earlier remained mum on the fate of the Samal hostages’ situation, issued statements condoling with the Candian government and the victim’s family
“We extend our deepest sympathy and condolences to the Canadian government and to the family of Mr. John Ridsdel who died in the hands of the ASG bandits. There will be no let-up in the resolute efforts of the joint PNP-AFP task group in pursuing intensive and wide-ranging military and law enforcement operations to neutralize these lawless elements and thwart further threats to peace and security,” the Philippine National Police and Armed Forces of the Philippines said in a joint statement.
“The President has directed the security forces to apply the full force of the law to bring these criminals to justice,” Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr., head of the Presidential Communications Operations Office, said.
For its part, the Department of Foreign Affairs said it “extends its deepest sympathies to the family of Mr. John Ridsdel and to the Government and people of Canada. We join you in grieving for the lives lost in this senseless act of violence.”
“We support our brave men in uniform -- some of whom have sacrificed life and limb -- who remain relentless in rescuing the remaining hostages and bringing these nefarious elements to justice,” it added.
Ridsdel, fellow Canadian tourist Robert Hall, Norwegian resort manager Kjartan Sekkingstad and Filipina Marites Flor were kidnapped seven months ago from yachts at a marina near the major city of Davao, more than 500 kilometers (300 miles) from Jolo.
Six weeks after the abduction, Abu Sayyaf gunmen released a video on social media of their hostages held in a jungle setting demanding P1 billion ($21 million) each for the safe release of the three foreigners.
The men were forced to beg on camera for their lives, and similar videos were posted over several months in which the hostages looked increasingly frail.
In the most recent video, Ridsdel, a retiree aged in his late 60s, said he would be killed on April 25 if a ransom of P300 million was not paid.
[Read related story: VIDEO | ASG sets April 25 deadline, lowers ransom demand to P300M for Samal hostages’ release]
Trudeau said Canada was working with the government of the Philippines to pursue and prosecute Ridsdel's killers, and that efforts were underway to obtain the release of the other hostages.
Trudeau declined to respond when asked whether the Canadian government had tried to negotiate with the captors or pay a ransom, or whether it was trying to secure the release of the other Canadian being held, Robert Hall.
'New Somalia'
The Abu Sayyaf is also believed to be holding a Dutch bird watcher kidnapped in 2012, and has been blamed for abducting 18 Indonesian and Malaysian sailors from tugboats near the southern Philippines over the past month.
The Abu Sayyaf is a small group of Islamic militants listed by the United States as a terrorist organization that operates from Jolo and nearby islands.
It is a radical offshoot of a Muslim separatist insurgency in the south of the mainly Catholic Philippines that has claimed more than 100,000 lives since the 1970s.
It is blamed for the nation's worst terror attacks, including the bombing of a ferry in Manila Bay in 2004 that killed more than 100 people, as well as the kidnappings of dozens of foreigners in the southern Philippines and across to Malaysian Borneo.
The Abu Sayyaf's leaders have recently declared allegiance to the Islamic State jihadists who are causing carnage in the Middle East and have carried out deadly attacks in Europe.
However, analysts say the Abu Sayyaf is mainly focused on lucrative kidnappings for ransom, rather than waging an ideological war or creating a violent Islamic caliphate.
From 2002-2014, the US deployed special forces advisers to train and provide intelligence to Filipino troops, which led to the killing or arrest of many Abu Sayyaf leaders.
However after the US forces pulled out, the Abu Sayyaf launched a series of increasingly bold kidnapping raids, as well as deadly battles with Filipino troops that show it remains a major threat in the south.
The recent kidnapping spree prompted Indonesian Security Minister Luhut Panjaitan to warn the region was in danger of becoming a "new Somalia", in reference to pirates operating from the African nation that have bedevilled international shipping in nearby waters.