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- Video released by radical Islamist group Ansaru emerged today
- Blamed execution on fears Britain was about to stage rescue operation
- Hostages were seized on February 16 from a construction company
- Newspaper reported that five jets were spotted at airport two weeks ago
- Terrorists cited two reports claiming British forces were planning rescue
- MoD said planes were present to help French troops with Mali operation
- Categorically denied that planes were linked to plans to rescue hostages
A radical Islamist group based in Nigeria today claimed it has killed seven hostages, believed to include one Briton.
Ansaru seized the men on February 16 from the site of a construction company operating in the northern part of the country.
In a statement, the terrorists cited reports from local media organisations that British planes had been spotted at a Nigerian airport, suggesting that a rescue operation was imminent.
But the Ministry of Defence categorically said its planes were only present at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja to assist the French-led operation in Mali, categorically denying any involvement in a rescue bid.
Scroll down for video – Warning: Graphic content
Online: A video was posted online by Islamist terror group Ansaru, claiming that they had killed seven hostages captured in February from the site of a construction company operating in northern Nigeria. The image has not been independently verified.
Operation: Reports appeared on a local Nigerian website two weeks ago saying that five British planes were spotted at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja and linking them to a rescue operation for the hostages
The group, also known as the Vanguard for the Protection of Muslims in Black Africa, released a statement saying that they had killed the hostages because of a planned rescue 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 standing above the dead hostages.
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The message claimed that British forces had sent ‘five jet bombers and soldiers’ to the area, also claiming that Nigerians had been arrested and killed by the troops.
A report appeared in a local newspaper two weeks ago reporting that five British ‘bomber jets’ had been spotted at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
The report suggested that the planes, allegedly marked ‘Royal Army’, may have been planning to launch a rescue operation for the hostages.
Pictured: An image taken from a video previously issued by Nigeria Islamist group Ansaru, standing behind a banner reading ‘Ansar al–Muslimeen in the Land of Black Africans’
Statement: The message, attributed to Ansaru, posted online claiming that the seven hostages had been killed
Published in Leadership Weekend, the report quoted a military official linking the presence of the British jets with an operation, but the British high commissioner in Nigeria, Rob Fitzpatrick, told the publication: ‘This is routine military-to-military engagement.’
The message posted online by Ansaru, dated February 5, contained links to two online reports stating that the planes had been spotted.
The group said a message from Nigerian president Goodluck Jonathan saying the government would do anything in its power to free the hostages also sparked the decision to kill the hostages.
A Ministry of Defence spokesman confirmed there has been a military presence in the Abuja airport but it said this was unconnected to the hostages.
The spokesman denied that there had been five British bomber jet, but said that British forces were assisting the French-led operation in Mali, helping to move Nigerian troops into the country.
Local media: A report, published by Leadership Weekend, claimed that five British ‘jet bombers’ were spotted at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja
HOW TERRORISTS EXECUTED BRITISH HOSTAGE IN NIGERIA DURING BOTCHED RESCUE
A British hostage was killed by his captors in Nigeria in March 2010 when a UK Special Forces rescue operation ended in tragedy.
Chris McManus was executed by gunmen as members of the Special Boat Service and Nigerian soldiers moved in on the Al Qaeda-inspired terrorists’ hideaway.
Fellow hostage, Italian Franco Lamolinara, was also killed. The pair had been held for ten months.
Footage of the 28-year-old engineer blindfolded alongside three armed men was broadcast, showing the terrified hostage pleading for his life.
The botched rescue was triggered when – after months of searching – the SBS found the heavily protected location where the men were being held.
Mr Cameron said authorities had decided to go ahead with the rescue after receiving ‘credible information about [the men’s] location’.
Authorities categorically deny that there the British have been involved in the operation.
The video message, claimed to be from Ansaru, has 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.
A FCO spokesperson said: ‘We are aware of reports of the death of a British national in Nigeria and are urgently investigating.’
British authorities have previously linked Ansaru to the May 2011 kidnapping of Christopher McManus, who was abducted with Italian Franco Lamolinara from a home in Kebbi state.
The men were held for months before being murdered by their captors in March 2012 during a failed Nigerian military raid backed by British special forces in Sokoto, the main city in Nigeria’s northwest.
The message, posted to an Islamic extremist website today, 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.’
Following the initial attack and capture of the hostages in February, Ansaru issued a short statement claiming responsibility.
Thee workers were captured from a company camp at Jama’are, a town about 125 miles north of Bauchi, the capital of Bauchi state.
The attack saw gunmen first assault a local prison and burn police trucks, before the attackers blew up a fence at the compound, killing a guard as they took over the area.
The gunmen were organised, leaving the Nigerian household staff members at the residence unharmed, while the foreigners were quickly abducted, according to witnesses.
In January, Ansaru described itself as a splinter group independent from Boko Haram, widely regarded as the north’s main terrorist group.
Ansaru cited two local media reports claiming that British planes had arrived in Nigeria to assist a rescue operation for the terrorists but the MoD categorically denied that British troops were involved in a rescue
Workers: The group were all employees of Setraco, a Lebanese construction company with an operation in Bauchi state
Boko Haram, whose name means ‘Western education is sacrilege’ has launched a guerrilla campaign of bombings and shootings across Nigeria’s predominantly Muslim north.
The group has been blamed for at least 792 killings last year alone, according to reports.
Boko Haram earlier claimed the kidnapping in December of a French national working on a renewable energy project in Nigeria’s northern Katsina state.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office warn against travel to Nigeria, alerting visitors to the threat of terrorism and kidnap.
Industry: Photographs from Setraco’s site showing the company’s workers carrying out various operations
Terrorism poses a clear threat to visitors in the country, while the threat of retaliatory attacks following the French intervention in Mali has also been flagged as a potential aggravating factor.
Recent terrorist kidnaps have largely taken place in northern Nigeria, where Ansaru and Boko Haram operate.
Around 117,000 British nationals visit Nigeria each year, with 50 British nationals requiring consular assistance in the country between April 1 2011 and March 31 2012
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2290732/British-hostage-feared-executed-Nigerian-terrorists-panicked-local-media-said-UK-warplanes-area-preparing-rescue-bid.html#ixzz2N7dj1J00
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