Three foreigners taken hostage by the Abu Sayyaf militant group in Philippines have appeared in a new video released by the group, warning that they will be executed like the Canadian hostage who was beheaded after a ransom deadline expired. The severed head of Canadian national John Ridsdel was found last week.
The hostages who appear in the video, including another Canadian, a Norwegian and a Filipina, had been abducted along with Ridsdel by the Islamist militant group last year from the Samal island in southern Philippines. The Abu Sayyaf group had demanded a ransom amount of 300 million pesos ($6.4 million), and when the April 25 deadline lapsed, it beheaded Ridsdel.
"We will be executed like our friend John," the three Abu Sayyaf hostages, identified as Norwegian national Kjartan Sekkingstad, Canadian national Robert Hall and Filipina Marites Flor, have warned in the new video, according to BBC. The three, two men and a woman, are seen in the video surrounded by six gunmen, according to SITE Intelligence group.
The militants warned the Canadian and Philippines governments that the three will be executed "if you procrastinate once again." The two governments have, however, maintained they will not heed to the ransom demands by the group.
The severed head of Risdel was found last week dumped in a plastic bag in a remote southern island in the Philippines. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had condemned the execution as "an act of cold-blooded murder."
The Abu Sayyaf militant group, known for kidnapping foreigners and demanding ransom, had recently claimed allegiance to the Islamic State group.
The group is said to be holding other foreign hostages, including a Japanese, a Dutch, four Malaysians and several Indonesians. On Sunday, the group released 10 Indonesian sailors captured last month.
