Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the “cold-blooded murder” of Canadian John Ridsdel by terrorists in the Philippines who were holding him hostage.
“I am outraged by the news that a Canadian citizen held hostage has been killed,” Trudeau told reporters Monday afternoon in Alberta.
“This was an act of cold-blooded murder and responsibility rests squarely with the terrorist group who took him hostage.”
Trudeau confirmed that 68-year-old John Ridsdel of Calgary, Alberta, had been killed.
Here is a look at the events leading up to the murder of Ridsdel.
Sept. 21, 2015
Ridsdel was one of four tourists — including fellow Canadian Robert Hall, Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad and a Filipino woman, Marites Flor— who were kidnapped by militants on the southern Samal Island the evening of Sept. 21, 2015
READ MORE: What you need to know about Abu Sayyaf, the group that kidnapped John Ridsdel
A spokesperson for TVI Pacific, a Calgary-based resource company, told Global News that they received confirmation that Ridsdel, a former senior VP and chief operating officer of TVI, was among those abducted.
Security video shows several men armed with pistols arrive on a motorboat and enter the Holiday Ocean View Samal Resort on Samal Island off Davao City where they abducted the four hostages.
Oct. 13, 2015
Two Canadians kidnapped in the southern Philippines are seen for the first time in a video posted online.
Ridsdel and Hall appear in a video, delivering messages as masked militants point guns at them. Ridsdel is held sitting on the ground by one of the captors throughout the video, with a knife pointed at his head.
READ MORE: Kidnappings of 3 Westerners a reminder of conflicts and misery troubling Philippines
He calls on the government of the Philippines to end military operations against Islamist groups in the southern islands of the archipelago, and for Canada to negotiate for their freedom.
It is suspected that Abu Sayyaf, an al Qaeda-linked group that reportedly pledged allegiance to the so-called Islamic State is behind the kidnapping.
Flags resembling the one used by ISIS appear behind the group of at least 11 masked and armed men seen in the video.
Nov. 3, 2015
Abu Sayyaf gunmen release a video threatening to kill four hostages unless they receive a ransom of more than $100 million.
Ridsdel and Hall are seen in the video with a long knife raised to their necks as they deliver messages, where they say they are being ransomed for one billion pesos each.
“I’m a Canadian citizen. I’m being held hostage by Abu Sayyaf for one billion pesos,” Hall says. One billion pesos is equivalent to approximately C$28 million.
March 10, 2016
Abu Sayyaf issues a one-month deadline for their demands to be met or they will begin executing the hostages.
Appearing thin and bearded, the three foreign men appear in another video and issue a plea to the Canadian government.
READ MORE: ‘They will execute us’: Ransom deadline set for Canadians held hostage in Philippines
“To the Canadian prime minister and to the Canadian people in the world, please, do as needed to meet their demands, within one month or they will kill me, they will execute us,” said one of the men who identified himself as Ridsdel.
The roughly 90-second video clip was posted on a Facebook page linked to Philippine Islamists.
April 15, 2016
The federal government says it’s aware of the latest video released by Abu Sayyaf, vowing to behead the Canadian hostages if the ransom isn’t paid in the next 10 days.
April 25, 2016
Police in the southern Philippines say the head of a Caucasian male was recovered and DNA tests will be conducted to determine whether it belongs to one of three Western hostages who had been threatened with beheading by Muslim extremists.
Jolo police chief Supt. Junpikar Sitin said two men on a motorcycle left the head, which was placed in a plastic bag, along a street in Jolo town in Sulu province and then fled.
READ MORE: Canadian hostage John Ridsdel executed in Philippines after ransom deadline passes
Speaking from a federal cabinet retreat in Alberta, Trudeau confirmed that Ridsdel was executed.
“On behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadians, I would like to express my deepest condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Ridsdel,” Trudeau said. “They have endured a terrible ordeal and this is a devastating moment for all of them.”
*With files from Nick Logan and the Associated Press
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