DNA tests confirm that Canadian Robert Hall was executed by terror group Abu Sayyaf in the Philippines
He was executed after prime minister Trudeau refused to pay £8m ransom
THE severed head of Canadian hostage Robert Hall, who was murdered by Islamic extremists in the Philippines, has been found.
The head was discovered outside a cathedral in the southern island of Jolo.
The rest of his body was discovered on the day of his execution at the hands of radical Islamic rebels Abu Sayyaf on June 13.
“I would like to inform the public and media, that we have confirmed the identification of the decapitated head,” said Emmanuel Arana, Director of the Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory.
The laboratory confirmed that it was Hall by comparing the severed head to DNA samples provided by Canada’s National Forensic Laboratory Services.
Hall was kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf rebels in September last year and held hostage for around £8.2 million.
Hall was taken with fellow Canadian John Ridsdel, Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad and Filipina Marites Flor.
The group were abducted from a hotel in the south of the Philippines.
Ridsdel was executed before Hall on April 25 after the Canadian government refused to pay his ransom.
Sekkingstad and Flor are still alive, along with two other hostages.
Hall’s execution sparked international outrage earlier this month.
Filipino president Benigo Aquino said: “We strongly condemn the brutal and senseless murder of Mr Robert Hall, a Canadian national, after being held captive by the Abu Sayyaf group in Sulu for the past nine months.”
Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said: “It is with deep sadness and anger that I can report we have reason to believe that a Canadian citizen, Robert Hall – held hostage in the Philippines since September 21, 2015 – has been killed by his captors.
“Canada holds the terrorist group who took Mr Hall hostage fully responsible for this cold-blooded and senseless murder.”
Trudeau had previously said that Canada would not pay the ransom as they would not pay terrorists.
Abu Sayyaf is an Islamic extremist group run from the Philippines and is infamous for carrying out kidnappings, bombings and executions.
In July 2014, the group pledged allegiance to ISIS and its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
They started kidnapping again in order to further the ISIS cause.
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