On 13 July 2016, it was confirmed that Robert Hall, a Canadian, had been beheaded by Abu Sayyaf, an armed group based in the Southern Philippines. He was with another Canadian, a Filipina, and a Norwegian when they were kidnapped in September 2015 in the city of Davao while on vacation, and taken to a stronghold on the remote southern island of Jolo.  The other Canadian was beheaded in April after an earlier ransom demands was unsuccessful.

This beheading occurred after a deadline for a ransom demand for $6.4 million per captive had passed. Both Philippine and Canadian governments are against paying ransom demands.  Abu Sayyaf has kidnapped numerous individuals since 2000 and continues to hold those who have not been paid for. Some previous hostages were released after payment had been  made either by  different governments that permitted ransom payments or individuals.

Abu Sayyaf is a small, extremist group known for kidnappings, beheadings, bombings, and extortion. The group formed in the 1990s by young Muslim insurgents with ties to Al-Qaeda. The group now claims its allegiance to the Islamic State.

 

To know more, read:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/05/20/how-abu-sayyaf-the-islamist-terror-gang-made-a-business-out-of-b/
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/06/abu-sayyaf-groups-beheads-canadian-hostage-160613090026588.html
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-36517524