MOSCOW (Sputnik) — In September 2015, Abu Sayyaf fighters kidnapped a group of people, comprising two Canadians, one Norwegian citizen and a Philippine national. In May, Abu Sayyaf announced that it would kill one of the hostages if it did not receive a multimillion ransom.
The Canadian CBC News broadcaster reported, citing a source close to the security situation in the Philippines, that Canada's Robert Hall was killed by Abu Sayyaf.
The broadcaster added that John Ridsdel, the second group's hostage from Canada, was killed in April.
Abu Sayyaf, a militant Islamist group based in the southwestern part of the Philippines, is notorious for carrying out kidnappings for ransom, often targeting foreigners and sometimes beheading captives if ransom is not paid. The militants aim to establish an independent Islamic state in the region.
The group was responsible for the Philippines' worst terrorist attack, the bombing of Superferry 14 in 2004, which killed 116 people, including over a dozen of children.
