Philippine extremist group releases video of German hostage’s beheading

Abu Sayyaf, an extremist group in the Philippines, released a video purportedly showing the beheading of a German hostage after a failed ransom deal, the Associated Press reported. 

The man, Jurgen Gustav Kantner, is shown on video saying “now he kill me,” before being beheaded with a knife.

{mosads}Members of the extremist group said they would kill Kantner should they not receive their desired ransom. The group said it captured the man in November.

Martin Schaefer, a spokesman for Germany’s Foreign Ministry, said authorities were looking at the video to determine its authenticity.

“It makes you question what can lead people to commit such a barbaric crime, but, at the moment, I’m not in a position to say whether the video’s authentic,” Schaefer said.

An official with the Philippine military said it would not confirm Kantner’s death nor would it rely on the video for confirmation.