Islamist militants in the Philippines have executed a German who survived being held for nearly two months by Somali pirates eight years ago, after talks for his release in exchange for a 30 million-peso (S$854,000) ransom collapsed.

A video released by the brutal Abu Sayyaf group on Monday (Feb 27) afternoon showed Mr Jurgen Kantner, 70, a sailing enthusiast, his hands tied behind his back, being beheaded at a jungle clearing.

He could be heard on video saying "Now he'll kill me", before a man began cutting his head off with a large knife.

In a statement, peace adviser and chief hostage negotiator Jesus Dureza said the government "strongly condemns the barbaric beheading".

"Up to the last moment, many sectors... exhausted all efforts to save his life. We all tried our best. But to no avail," he said. He added: "Terrorism has no place in a country like ours and we as a people must confront violent extremism every time it rears its ugly head."

A police report released on Sunday said Mr Kantner was executed at around 3.30pm, on Sunday, in Buanza district, Indanan town, Sulu province, 1,500km south of the capital Manila.

Mr Kantner was beheaded by men under a certain Muammar Askali, alias Abu Rami, purportedly a unit leader of the brutal Abu Sayyaf group, linked to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Mr Kantner was abducted while he and his wife, Ms Sabine Merz, were cruising a dangerous area of the Philippines, by the Abu Sayyaf, an insurgent group known for kidnapping and ransoming foreigners. Ms Merz was killed, purportedly when she tried to fight back with a shotgun.

The couple have been sailing the oceans for many years aboard their 53-footer, the Rockall.

They were held for 52 days in Somalia in 2008 before their captors freed them, reportedly after a six-figure ransom had been paid.

Philippines Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay, speaking on the sidelines of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, said on Monday Mr Kantner may have been killed because he was sick, Reuters reported. The Philippines was also working with its allies to determine the exact locations of the rest of the hostages held by the group, he said, adding that Manila would also continue to retain its "no ransom" policy.</s>The Philippines-based militant group Abu Sayyaf posted a video on Monday showing the beheading of a man identified as a German hostage captured last November.

The video reposted by the militancy-monitoring group SITE showed a machete-wielding militant kill the elderly German hostage. SITE identified the man as Jurgen Kantner.

Abu Sayyaf is believed to be holding a number of hostages and has freed several in return for ransom payments. Kantner's deadline for ransom had expired on Sunday, according to SITE.</s>The Philippines-based militant group Abu Sayyaf posted a video on Monday showing the beheading of a man identified as a German hostage captured last November. The video reposted by the militancy-monitoring group SITE showed a machete-wielding militant kill the elderly German hostage.

Start the conversation, or Read more at Reuters.</s>MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Abu Sayyaf extremists in the Philippines release video of beheading of German hostage.</s>A German man has been beheaded by Abu Sayyaf militants in the southern Philippines after a deadline to pay his ransom passed, the Philippine government has said.

A video posted by the Philippines-based Islamist extremist group Abu Sayyaf and distributed by SITE Intelligence Group identifies the man as Jurgen Kantner, who has been held captive since November.

It was the second time Kantner, 70, had been abducted. He was held along with his partner, Sabine Merz, by Somali pirates for nearly two months in 2008.

In a text message to CNN, Philippines Secretary Jesus Dureza, the Presidential Peace Adviser, said the government strongly condemned “the barbaric beheading of yet another kidnap victim.”

“Up to the last moment, many sectors, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines, exhausted all efforts to save his life. We all tried our best. But to no avail,” he said.

A German official said the government was still checking the video’s authenticity.

The group had demanded 30 million Philippine pesos ($600,000) in exchange for Kantner’s release, setting a deadline of February 26.

Abu Sayyaf announced in November last year that they had kidnapped Kantner and his partner in the waters off Malaysia’s Sabah state, according to Philippine officials.

Residents of Laparan Island in the southern Philippines Mindanao chain of island discovered a body of a woman soon after, believed to be Merz’s.

In September, Abu Sayyaf freed a Norwegian man it had held captive for almost a year, according to CNN Philippines.

The beheading emerges as the Philippine government wages a war against Abu Sayyaf, based in the restive Muslim-majority province of Mindanao in the country’s far south.

Abu Sayyaf is a violent extremist group of some 200 to 400 members that is largely fragmented.

The Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country, but the south has historically had a large Muslim population. Abu Sayyaf’s stated aim is to establish an independent Islamic state on the southern island of Mindanao.

The group first became active in the early 1990s and was responsible for bombings across the southern Philippines and in the Malaysian state of Sabah.

The seas around the Philippines are the most pirated in the world, according to data producer IHS Markit.</s>A German man has been beheaded by Abu Sayyaf militants in the southern Philippines after a deadline to pay his ransom passed, the Philippine government has said. A video posted by the Philippines-based Islamist extremist group Abu Sayyaf and distributed by SITE Intelligence Group identifies the man as Jurgen Kantner, who has been held captive since November.

Start the conversation, or Read more at WEHT.</s>(CNN) A German man has been beheaded by Abu Sayyaf militants in the southern Philippines after a deadline to pay his ransom passed.

Philippine and German officials confirmed that 70-year-old Jurgen Kantner had been killed after being held for three months by the Islamist militant group.

It was the second time Kantner, 70, had been abducted. He was held along with his partner, Sabine Merz, by Somali pirates for nearly two months in 2008.

German national Jurgen Kantner and his partner, Sabine Merz, in 2009, months after they were freed by Somali pirates.

Abu Sayyaf posted a gruesome video of its militants killing the man with a curved knife. The video was distributed by the SITE Intelligence Group .

"The Federal Chancellor condemns the abominable act, which once again shows how unscrupulous and inhumane these terrorists are. We all must stand together and fight against them," German Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said.

Philippine Secretary Jesus Dureza, the Presidential Peace Adviser, said the government strongly condemned "the barbaric beheading of yet another kidnap victim."

"Up to the last moment, many sectors, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines, exhausted all efforts to save his life. We all tried our best. But to no avail," he said in a text message to CNN.

The group had demanded 30 million Philippine pesos ($600,000) in exchange for Kantner's release, setting a deadline of February 26.

Abu Sayyaf announced in November last year that they had kidnapped Kantner and his partner in the waters off Malaysia's Sabah state, according to Philippine officials.

Merz was shot and killed by the militants soon after.

In September, Abu Sayyaf freed a Norwegian man it had held captive for almost a year, according to CNN Philippines.

The beheading emerges as the Philippine government wages a war against Abu Sayyaf, based in the restive Muslim-majority province of Mindanao in the country's far south.

Abu Sayyaf is a violent extremist group of some 200 to 400 members that is largely fragmented.

The Philippines is a predominantly Catholic country, but the south has historically had a large Muslim population. Abu Sayyaf's stated aim is to establish an independent Islamic state on the southern island of Mindanao.

The group first became active in the early 1990s and was responsible for bombings across the southern Philippines and in the Malaysian state of Sabah.

The seas around the Philippines are the most pirated in the world, according to data producer IHS Markit.</s>Abu Sayyaf militants in the southern Philippines have claimed responsibility for the beheading of a German national.

Jurgen Gustav Kantner was kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf militants last November, when he was sailing off neighbouring Malaysia's Sabah state.

A deadline for a ransom lapsed over the weekend, and yesterday a video was released that appeared to show the German hostage being beheaded.

The Philippines' president had promised to neutralise the Abu Sayyaf last year, but this latest incident raises questions about his ability to do so.

Dr Clark Jones is a counter-terrorism expert at the ANU's College of Asia & the Pacific.

He's advised the Philippines' government on how to manage terrorist offenders in the country's prisons.</s>Abu Sayyaf extremists in the Philippines have released a video showing the beheading of a German hostage in the first sign the brutal Filipino militants carried out a threat to kill him after a ransom deadline lapsed over the weekend.

President Rodrigo Duterte's adviser dealing with Muslim rebel groups, Jesus Dureza, said the Philippines military and other groups "exhausted all efforts" to save Jurgen Gustav Kantner, up to the final moment.

"We grieve as we strongly condemn the barbaric beheading of yet another kidnap victim," Mr Dureza said in a statement.

"We all tried our best. But to no avail."

The brief video circulated by the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors jihadi websites, showed Mr Kantner sitting in a grassy clearing, saying: "Now he kill me" before a masked militant beheaded him with a curved knife.

A few gunmen muttered "Allahu Akbar", the Arabic phrase for "God is great", in the video that lasted nearly two minutes.

The Philippines military confirmed Mr Kantner had been "mercilessly and inhumanly murdered".

"Our operations in the past several days and nights, using all our resources, were unrelenting," spokesman Colonel Edgard Arevalo said in a statement.

"We lost some of our best men in the process, because we value the life of Mr Kantner and that of the others who have fallen prey to this terrorist group."

An intelligence report seen by The Associated Press said an Abu Sayyaf militant, Moammar Askali, had wanted Mr Kantner to be killed as announced, but others wanted to wait out for a ransom payment.

The militants circulated a video earlier this month in which Mr Kantner said he would be killed if ransom was not paid by 3:00pm on Sunday.

Philippines officials have said the militants were seeking a ransom of 30 million Philippine pesos ($778,000).

In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel condemned, "this abominable act, which shows once again how inhumane and without conscience these terrorists act", spokesman Steffen Seibert said in a statement.

"We must all stand together to fight against them."

German foreign ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer would not give any details on possible negotiations with the kidnappers, including whether there was a ransom demand, citing government policy and saying, "Public comment never helps in finding a solution" in such cases.

The Abu Sayyaf claimed in November its gunmen had kidnapped Mr Kantner and killed a woman sailing with him off neighbouring Malaysia's Sabah state.

Villagers later found a dead woman on a yacht with the German flag off Laparan Island in Sulu province in the southern Philippines, the military said.

Mr Kantner and his partner, Sabine Merz, had been taken hostage by Somali pirates in 2008 and later freed, officials said.

The Abu Sayyaf, which the US and the Philippines have blacklisted as a terrorist organisation, is holding more than 20 foreign and local hostages in jungle encampments in the country's south.

They beheaded two Canadian men last year after separate ransom deadlines lapsed.

Mr Duterte has ordered troops destroy the Abu Sayyaf extremists, saying their ransom kidnappings were embarrassing and were creating a security alarm in the waters bordering the south, Malaysia and Indonesia.

The three countries have made efforts to jointly shore up security along their busy sea border, but the kidnappings by the Abu Sayyaf and allied gunmen of passing crews have persisted.</s>(UPDATED) The Philippine military confirms the beheading of Juergen Kantner, the 3rd foreigner to be beheaded in the last 10 months

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Intensified military operations in Sulu failed to stop notorious local terrorist group Abu Sayyaf from killing its German hostage as the deadline it set for a P30 million ($600,000) ransom lapsed.

The German embassy in the Philippines confirmed it was Juergen Kantner in the beheading video that circulated on Monday, February 27, according to chief presidential peace adviser Secretary Jesus Dureza. Rappler had access to the 1-minute, 43-second video that was reportedly released on social media application Telegram.

Kantner is the 3rd foreigner to be beheaded by the Abu Sayyaf in the last 10 months. The bandits beheaded two Canadian hostages in 2016 also after ransom payment deadlines lapsed.

"We grieve as we strongly condemn the barbaric beheading of yet another kidnap victim, German Juergen Gustav Kantner, in Sulu Sunday afternoon," Dureza said in a statement issued early evening on Monday.

"Terrorism has no place in a country like ours and we as a people must confront violent extremism every time it rears its ugly head," added Dureza, who sought the help of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) in ending Abu Sayyaf's atrocities in Sulu.

The military also confirmed the beheading in a statement issued at 11 p.m. on Monday. "We have finally received information from reliable sources confirming that Mr Juergen Gustav Kantner was mercilessly and inhumanly murdered by the evil Abu Sayyaf Group," said Colonel Edgard Arevalo, chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines public affairs office.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the government will continue efforts to stop atrocities committed by the Abu Sayyaf, the group that the military aims to crush by June 2017.

Lorenzana disapproves of paying ransom, which families of victims have commonly resorted to. "It is money. For as long as ransom are being paid, kidnapping remains profitable. We will stop these piracy and kidnappings," the defense chief told Rappler.

Kantner appeared in a video two weeks ago to announce the February 26 deadline that the bandits set for his beheading if ransom was not paid.

The subgroup led by Muammar Askali or Abu Rami was reportedly behind the beheading, the same group that was also behind the kidnapping of a German couple in 2014. The couple was released after P250 million in ransom was reportedly paid.

The military launched operations to try to free the hostages, but failed to save Kantner. Arevalo said the military lost "some of our best men in the process" but they commit to pursue all-out offensive against the local terrorist group.

"There will be no let up in our operations until we have rescued all the remaining kidnap victims," Arevalo said. (READ: Lorenzana: Abu Sayyaf still holding 25 hostages)

Dureza said the Philippine government had been in close contact with German authorities as state forces tried to rescue the hostages.

"Up to the last moment, many sectors, including the Armed Forces of the Philippines, exhausted all efforts to save his life. We all tried our best. But to no avail," he said.

As early as Sunday night, February 26, Dureza revealed he received a report from Joint Task Force Sulu commander Colonel Cirilito Sobejana about Kantner's alleged beheading but the verification took time.

The military on November 7 last year reported finding Kantner's yacht, Rockall, adrift off the southern Philippines.

The body of a woman with a bullet wound, later identified by the hostage as his partner, Sabine Merz, was found on board the vessel.

Upon Duterte's orders, the military has shifted its focus back to its counter-terrorism campaign. (READ: PH military keeps eye on ISIS-linked terror groups amid NPA clashes)

The Abu Sayyaf is a notorious kidnap-for-ransom gang that has pledged allegiance to the international terrorist group Islamic State (ISIS).

It is made up of several small armed bands based in the southern islands of Basilan and Jolo, where it is also holding a Dutch and foreign crew members of several other vessels.

It is blamed for the Philippines' deadliest bombing attacks as well as dozens of kidnappings-for-ransom. – Rappler.com

Editor's note: In an earlier version of this report, we said Kantner's beheading is the 3rd under the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte. The beheading of two Canadians happened during the campaign period and right before Duterte's inauguration, respectively.
The Abu Sayyaf militant group beheads their German hostage Jurgen Kantner in Indanan, Philippines.