German hostage beheaded in Philippines

A German man has been beheaded by Abu Sayyaf militants in the southern Philippines after a deadline to pay his ransom passed, the
Philippine government has said.

A video posted by the Philippines-based Islamist
extremist group Abu Sayyaf and distributed by SITE Intelligence Group identifies the man as Jurgen Kantner, who has been held captive since
November.

It was the second time Kantner, 70, had been abducted. He was held along with his partner,
Sabine Merz, by Somali pirates for nearly two months in 2008.

In a text message Philippines Secretary Jesus Dureza, the Presidential Peace Adviser, said
the government strongly condemned "the barbaric
beheading of yet another kidnap victim."

"Up to the last moment, many sectors, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines, exhausted all efforts to save his life. We all tried our best. But
to no avail," he said.

A German official said the government was still checking the video's authenticity.
The group had demanded 30 million Philippine pesos ($600,000) in exchange for Kantner's release, setting a deadline of February 26.
Abu Sayyaf announced in November last year that
they had kidnapped Kantner and his partner in the waters off Malaysia's Sabah state, according to Philippine officials.

Merz was shot and killed by the militants soon after, the Philippine News Agency reported.

In September, Abu Sayyaf freed a Norwegian man it had held captive for almost a year, according to CNN