A radical Islamist group based in Nigeria said that it has killed seven hostages believed to include one Briton. Ansar al-Muslimeen seized the group of hostages on February 16 from a construction company operating in the northern part of the country.
Local reports suggested that the group killed the hostages after British warplanes were reportedly seen in the country's northern region, leading the group to believe a rescue operation was imminent.
The group released a statement saying it executed the hostages because of rescue attempts by British and Nigerian forces.
The message, issued in both Arabic and English, was accompanied by screen shots of a video purporting to show gunmen showing the dead hostages.
The message, identified as coming from Ansaru, could not be immediately verified.
The group of hostages are thought to include citizens from Lebanon, Britain, Greece, Italy and the Philippines. They were all employees of Setraco, a Lebanese construction company with an operation in Bauchi state.
Both British and Nigerian officials have yet to comment on the incident.
The message, posted to an Islamic extremist website Saturday [Mar. 9], said Ansaru members killed the hostages after British warplanes were seen in Bauchi, in the country's northern region, by Nigerian journalists.
The statement read: 'As a result of this operation, the seven hostages were killed'.
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