Abu Sayyaf beheads second Canadian hostage

The military early Tuesday morning confirmed that Canadian Robert Hall was beheaded by the bandit group Abu Sayyaf, GMA News' JP Soriano reported.

AFP/WestMinCom confirms in a statement Criminal "demonic" group ASG beheaded the remaining Canadian kidnap victim Robert Hall in Sulu.

— JP Soriano (@jpsoriano) June 13, 2016

According to the statement from the military's Western Mindanao Command, civilians found a severed head near the Jolo Cathedral at around 8:45 p.m. on Monday.

Local security forces recovered the remains, which were brought to the Kuta Heneral Teodolfo Bautista military camp.

A few hours later, the "brutal beheading" of the hostage was confirmed.

Hall's execution came after the 3 p.m. deadline imposed by the Abu Sayyaf Group for the payment of a P300-million ransom.

"The brutal murder and inhuman execution of the victim by these evil terrorists shows their true color," the military's WesMinCom statement said. "What they have done is clearly un-Islamic and a violation of the teachings of Mohammad."

The Armed Forces of the Philippines also made it clear that the Abu Sayyaf did not represent the majority of Muslim citizens and "true believers of Islam."

The military commiserated with Hall's family and loved ones, and also vowed to "work relentlessly with our police counterparts" to neutralize or arrest those accountable for the execution.

The Abu Sayyaf militants had beheaded another Canadian hostage, John Ridsdel, last April.

Ridsdel, Hall, Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad and Filipina Marites Flor were abducted from a high-end resort on Samal Island in Davao del Norte on September 2015. They were later brought to Sulu.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier issued a statement saying that it was "likely" that a second Canadian hostage had been killed by Islamic militants.

GMA's Jun Veneracion, meanwhile, reported for GMA 7's late night news program “Saksi” on Monday that the military had deployed tanks as part of a rescue operation.

After the deadline passed, the military received contradictory information through its intelligence network, and it was unclear whether a ransom had been paid.

The military also admitted that they experienced difficulty operating in Sulu's terrain, in contrast to the Abu Sayyaf Group which is familiar with the area. Additionally, the militants have local relatives who help them hide.

Sulu Gov. Totoh Tan had sent a letter to the militants asking them to release the hostages as part of the commemoration of Ramadan. 

However, the group replied that they would not release the hostages until the P300-million ransom for each hostage had been paid.

As of posting time, the body of Hall has not yet been found, Jun Veneracion reported on News To Go on Tuesday.

Rescue operations for the other hostages being held by the Abu Sayyaf are ongoing, the report said. — Bernadette A. Parco/DVM/KG, GMA News