Islamist Group, Ansaru: We’ve killed 7 foreign Hostages

Nigeria-based Boko Haram splinter Islamist group, Ansaru, said yesterday it had killed seven foreign hostages it seized on February 7 from a construction company in Nigeria, Site Monitoring Service, said. The group issued a statement in Arabic and English on an affiliate of the Sinam al-Islam network accompanied by screen shots of a video purportedly showing the dead hostages, Site said. One screenshot showed a man with gun standing above several prostrate figures on the ground.

Ansaru, which has kidnapped other foreigners in the past, had blasted into the compound using explosives and abducted a Briton, an Italian, a Greek and four Lebanese workers, the largest number of foreigners kidnapped in the mostly Muslim north since an insurgency by Islamist militants intensified two years ago. The group’s full name is Jama’atu Ansarul Musilimina Fi Biladis Sudan, which roughly translates as “vanguards for the protection of Muslims in Black Africa”.

In its statement, the group said it decided to kill the hostages taken from the compound of a Lebanese construction company in the northern state of Bauchi, because of attempts by Britain and Nigeria to rescue them. “(We) announced the capture of seven Christian foreigners and warned that should there be any attempt by force to rescue them will render their lives in danger,” the statement said.

“The Nigeria and British government operation lead to the death of all the seven Christian foreigners,” it said. Ansaru was suspected of being behind the killing of a British and Italian hostage a year ago in northwest Nigeria, and Britain’s parliament has labeled it a terrorist organization. Effort to get the police to confirm this has not been successful as the police spokesman, Frank Mba, said he could not speak on the matter.