Canada’s prime minister says he has “every reason” to believe a second Canadian hostage has been executed by Islamic State-affiliate Abu Sayyaf.
“It is with deep sadness that I have reason to believe that a Canadian citizen, Robert Hall, held hostage in the Philippines since September 21, 2015, has been killed by his captors,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement released Monday morning.
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“The vicious and brutal actions of the hostage-takers have led to a needless death,” said Trudeau, adding that Canadian officials are working to confirm the reports.
What is Abu Sayyaf? Watch this VICE News explainer.
“Canada holds the terrorist group who took him hostage fully responsible for this cold-blooded and senseless murder.
“With the tragic loss of two Canadians, I want to reiterate that terrorist hostage-takings only fuel more violence and instability. Canada will not give into their fear mongering tactics and despicable attitude toward the suffering of others.”
At a brief press conference later Monday morning, Trudeau reiterated his stance against paying ransoms for hostages. “We will not turn the maple leaf worn with pride abroad… into a target,” he said.
The prime minister’s reaction came hours after reports out of the Philippines said Hall had been killed.
A spokesperson for the militant group told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that Robert Hall was executed when the deadline for a ransom payment passed on Monday, and that his body would be found on the island of Jolo. CBC News reported it had confirmed his death, citing military and other sources close to the situation.
“There is no extension. We have talked this over and over among our leadership and all decided no extension,” Abu Raami, a spokesperson for Abu Sayyaf, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer as the 3pm local time deadline approached.
Hall had been held captive since September, when he, fellow Canadian John Ridsdel, Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad, and Hall’s partner, Filipina Marites Flor, were kidnapped from the Oceanview Resort Marina.
Ridsdel was beheaded on April 25, after an earlier deadline for a ransom payment expired. Abu Sayyaf threatened to decapitate another hostage or hostages if their demands of $300 million in Philippine pesos, or $8 million Canadian dollars, for each hostage weren’t met by June 13.
A video released by the group following Ridsdel’s killing showed the three remaining hostages sitting together on the jungle floor begging for the Canadian and Philippine governments to save them as six armed men stood behind them.
“To the Philippine government, please stop shooting at us and trying to kill us, these guys are gonna do a good job of that,” Hall says in the video. “To the Canadian government, I’ve been told to tell you to meet the demand. I don’t know what you’re doing but you’re not doing anything for us. John has been sacrificed, his family has been decimated and I’m not sure why or what you’re waiting for.”
It was unclear from the video how many hostages the group threatened to execute June 13.
A graphic video of Ridsdel’s beheading stated that he was killed “due to non-compliance of the Canadian government.” VICE News has not been able to confirm exactly what happened with the negotiations.
Reacting to the news of Hall’s death, Flor’s niece Nicole told VICE News she remembered Hall as a friendly and good person. “I just want to know, what did the Canadian government [do]? What’s their action about that situation?” she said via Facebook.
The Canadian government has taken a strong stand against paying ransoms, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau arguing he didn’t want Canadian travellers to become targets. At his urging, G7 leaders gathered in Japan last month issued a directive against paying ransoms, saying this type of funding allows terrorists to “survive and thrive.”
In late May, Philippine president-elect Rodrigo Duterte apologized to Trudeau for Ridsdel’s killing. “I said, ‘Mr. Prime Minister, please accept my apologies for the incident,’” he told local reporters. “We will try our very best and see to it that nothing of this sort will happen again, and you can rest assured that when the time comes, we will be able to apprehend the criminals and exact justice.”
On June 5, the Philippine military sent more troops to Sulu Province, where the hostages are believed to be held under dense jungle cover. But ongoing military operations have actually hampered negotiations, according to former Canadian Liberal leader Bob Rae, who is a close friend of Ridsdel. The constant military assault on the Abu Sayyaf stronghold “made it a much more complex negotiation,” Rae told VICE News after Ridsdel’s death.
Follow Hilary Beaumont on Twitter: @hilarybeaumont
