Second Canadian Hostage Killed by Abu Sayyaf in Philippines
What you need to know
The ISIS-linked organization had set a deadline of 3pm today to receive ransom. Two other hostages remain in captivity.
The Abu Sayyaf extremist organization in Sulu, southern Philippines, executed a second hostage on Monday after a deadline for C$16 million (US$12.5 million) in ransom expired.
According to Philippine media, Robert Hall was executed at 3pm. In a video posted on May 13, the Jihadist organization, which has reportedly pledged allegiance to ISIS, pledged that Hall would be executed at 3pm on June 13 if ransom was not paid. In that video, a gaunt looking Hall was wearing an orange attire similar to those worn by victims of ISIS in Iraq and Syria. In the same video, a masked militant warned Ottawa and Manila. “We say to the governments of Canada and the Philippines not to play games, for we are determined to slaughter all the captives if you do not comply with our demands.”
Abu Raami, a spokesperson for Abu Sayyaf, confirmed Hall’s death by telephone. The Philippine military is ascertaining reports of Hall’s death, the Inquirer reports.
On April 25, the group executed John Ridsdel, also a Canadian citizen, by decapitation. At the time of his abduction, Ridsdel was working as a consultant for TVI Resource Development Philippines Inc.
Two other individuals, Kjartan Sekkingstad of Norway and Marites Flor of the Philippines remain in captivity and also face execution. The four individuals were abducted during a raid at the Holiday Ocean View Samal Resort on Samal Island Sept. 21 last year. Sekkingstad was the resort’s marina manager.
Following Ridsdel’s murder in April, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the Canadian government does not pay ransom for hostages.
“Paying ransom for Canadians would endanger the lives of every single one of the millions of Canadians who live work and travel around the world every single year,” he said.
Abu Sayyaf is one of the most violent extremist groups in the Southern Philippines. It split from the Moro National Liberation Front, which sought to achieve autonomy for southern regions of the Philippines, in the early 1990s. Abu Sayyaf seeks to establish an independent Islamic state.