Canadian hostage executed by Philippine militants

Philippine: A Canadian citizen Robert Hall, 50 has been executed by Islamist militants in the southern Philippines after deadline for the payment of ransom expired.

According to the spokesman for the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group, Abu Raami, he said Hall's body would be found somewhere in the downtown area of Jolo island, 1000 kilometres south of Manila.
Philippine military spokesman, Major Filemon Tan, said he couldn't confirm or deny the execution.
Hall was being held with Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad and Filipino Marites Flor.

"We don't have reports yet coming from our units on the ground," he said.

Raami had earlier warned that the time limit for the payment of 600 million pesos ($A17.6 million) ransom, for the release of the three hostages would not be prolonged beyond Monday at 3pm (1700 AEST).

"We talked this over and over among our leadership," Abu Raami said in an earlier statement, and all involved had decided against an extension of the deadline.

The Philippine government had promised to rescue the hostages, who were kidnapped from the southern resort island of Samal in September 2015.
The militant group has earlier executed a fourth Canadian hostage, John Ridsdel, on April 25 after a ransom deadline passed without payment.
The Abu Sayyaf militants, last week released four Malaysian tugboat crew members abducted on April 1 in waters off Tawi-Tawi province, the Philippines' southernmost province.