Manila, March 05 (QNA) – The body of a German hostage, Jurgen Kantner, beheaded by Abu Sayyaf militants in the Philippines this week has been recovered, Philippines military officials said.
Kantner was abducted from his yacht in November. The Abu Sayyaf group said it was behind the incident. The body was retrieved on the island of Sulu and will be returned to Germany, officials said. Kantner’s companion, Sabine Merz, was found shot dead aboard their abandoned yacht in November.
Last month, a video was posted showing the beheading of Kantner by a knife-wielding man. The German foreign ministry said in a statement that it was “deeply shocked by the inhuman and gruesome act”.
Abu Sayyaf is one of the smallest and most violent groups in the southern Philippines. In recent months it has been behind a series of attacks at sea between the Philippines and Malaysia, with tug boats and fishing vessels intercepted and their crews kidnapped and held for ransom. (QNA)
