Militants Behead Canadian Hostage in Philippines

The man's head was found Monday dumped outside city hall on Jolo, a mountainous and jungle-clad island in the far south of the Philippines that is a stronghold of the Daesh-affiliated Abu Sayyaf group.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Filipino authorities identified the victim as John Ridsdel, a retiree in his late 60s who was kidnapped seven months ago from aboard a yacht, along with another Canadian man, a Norwegian and a Filipina woman.

"This was an act of cold-blooded murder and responsibility rests with the terrorist group who took him hostage," Trudeau said in Ottawa, AFP reported.

The four were abducted at a marina near the major city of Davao, more than 500 kilometers (300 miles) from Jolo, as part of a wave of abductions by the Abu Sayyaf -- a loose network of militants who for more than two decades have run a lucrative kidnapping-for-ransom business.

Six weeks after the abduction, gunmen released a video of their hostages held in a jungle setting, demanding the equivalent of $21 million each for the safe release of the three foreigners.

The men were forced to beg for their lives on camera, and similar videos posted over several months showed the hostages looking increasingly frail.

In the most recent video, Ridsdel said his captors would kill him on April 25 if a ransom of $6.4 million was not paid.

Hours after the deadline passed, police in the Philippines said two people on a motorbike dropped the head near city hall on Jolo, which is about 1,000 kilometers (600 miles) from Manila.

Ridsdel, a former journalist, oil executive and sailing enthusiast, had moved to the Philippines to manage a gold mine before retiring.

 Trudeau said Canada was working with the Philippines to pursue and prosecute the killers, and that efforts were under way to obtain the release of the other hostages.

In the Philippines, security forces said they were setting up checkpoints across Jolo to try to block the movements of the gunmen.

"There will be no let-up in the determined efforts of the joint task group's intensive military and law enforcement operations to neutralize these lawless elements," said a statement released Tuesday by the national police and military.

Philippine security forces have made similar statements many times against the Abu Sayyaf and often failed to achieve their objectives.

The Abu Sayyaf's leaders have recently declared allegiance to Daesh group.

Authorities say the group is currently holding more than 20 foreigners after a recent wave of abductions.

These include 18 Indonesian and Malaysian sailors who were abducted from tugboats near the southern Philippines over the past month.

The Abu Sayyaf is also believed to be holding a Dutch bird-watcher kidnapped in 2012, while it recently released a retired Italian priest after six months in captivity.