Abu Sayyaf, the terrorist group that beheaded John Ridsdel in April, has released a new video threatening to execute a foreign hostage if its demands aren’t met by June 13, according to Site Intelligence.
Abu Sayyaf is still holding Canadian Robert Hall and Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad hostage in the Phillipines.
The kidnappers have reportedly demanded 600 million pesos ($16.6 million CDN) for Hall and Sekkingstad from the Canadian, Norwegian and Phillipino governments.
READ MORE: Abu Sayyaf demand Canadian government pay ransom for hostage Robert Hall in new video
The Canadian government confirmed to Global News they were aware of the existence of the new video but would not comment on the details of it.
“The Government’s first priority is the safety and security of its citizens and therefore will not comment or release any information which may compromise ongoing efforts or endanger the safety of the remaining hostages,” a spokesman for the Foreign Minister’s Office said in an email.
READ MORE: John Ridsdel murder: Captors need ‘some sort of incentives’ to release hostages
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Hall and Ridsdel, were kidnapped along with Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad and a Filipino woman at gunpoint from a marina on southern Samal Island last September.
Abu Sayyaf, which has been linked to al Qaeda, released a video threatening to kill a hostage in mid-April if its demands weren’t met. Ridsdel was killed a short time after.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the news of Riddel’s death on April 25.
Trudeau has been steadfast in defending Canada’s policy of not paying ransom to foreign terrorists.
“Canada does not and will not pay ransom to terrorists. Directly or indirectly, and there are very direct and clear reasons for this,” Trudeau has said.
With files from Vassy Kapelos and Adam Frisk
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