On Tuesday, April 26, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his outrage over the brutal killing of Canadian mining executive John Ridsdel by Abu Sayyaf, a terrorist group in the Philippines with ties to Islamic State jidahists,
The 68-year-old citizen from Alberta, Canada was among the four tourists abducted last September 21 by the militant group from a resort on southern Samal Island. Canadian Robert Hall, Norwegian resort manager Kjartan Sekkingstad and Filipina Marites Flor were also kidnapped along with Ridsdel.
The Islamist militants earlier released a video showing Ridsdel and the other captives on November. They demanded a ransom of $80 million and threatened to kill one of the hostages if no ransom was paid by April 25 at 3pm.
On Monday, April 25, the decapitated head of Ridsdel placed inside a plastic bag was recovered along a street in Jolo just hours after the ransom deadline expired. The police claim that two men on a motorcycle left the bag in the area and fled.
Calling Ridsdel’s death as “an act of cold-blooded murder”, Trudeau posted his official statement on the incident on his Facebook account.
“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," Trudeau wrote.
According to Trudeau, Canada is working with the Philippine government and international partners to hunt down the people behind the “henious act”.
Founded in the 1990s with seed money from Al-Qaeda, the Abu Sayyaf is notorious for kidnapping foreigners in exchange for millions of dollars in ransom. The group, which recently pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, was responsible for the worst terrorist attack in the Philippines such as the firebombing of a ferry off Manila Bay in 2004.
--Mini, The Summit Express
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| Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the death of citizen John Ridsdel as “an act of cold-blood murder.” PHOTO CREDIT: Dnaindia.com |
The Islamist militants earlier released a video showing Ridsdel and the other captives on November. They demanded a ransom of $80 million and threatened to kill one of the hostages if no ransom was paid by April 25 at 3pm.
On Monday, April 25, the decapitated head of Ridsdel placed inside a plastic bag was recovered along a street in Jolo just hours after the ransom deadline expired. The police claim that two men on a motorcycle left the bag in the area and fled.
Calling Ridsdel’s death as “an act of cold-blooded murder”, Trudeau posted his official statement on the incident on his Facebook account.
“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," Trudeau wrote.
According to Trudeau, Canada is working with the Philippine government and international partners to hunt down the people behind the “henious act”.
Founded in the 1990s with seed money from Al-Qaeda, the Abu Sayyaf is notorious for kidnapping foreigners in exchange for millions of dollars in ransom. The group, which recently pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, was responsible for the worst terrorist attack in the Philippines such as the firebombing of a ferry off Manila Bay in 2004.
--Mini, The Summit Express
