Philippines: Islamist Abu Sayyaf militants behead Malaysian hostage Bernard Then Ted Fen

Jihadi militants from the Abu Sayyaf have beheaded Malaysian hostage Bernard Then Ted Fen after their demands for a large ransom were not met, Fillipino military sources have said.

AP reported Then was killed in the jungle not far from the Indanan town in Sulu province on Tuesday 17 November. The execution by the al-Qaeda-linked group will raise concerns for two Canadians, a Norwegian and a Fillipino who were abducted in September.

Abu Sayyaf has demanded $60m (£39m) for the release of the three foreigners. In October 2014 the group claimed to have been paid 250m peso (£3.4m) for the release of two German hostages who were held for seven months.

Then was kidnapped with fellow Malaysian national Thien Nyuk Fun, from a seafood restaurant in May. Thein was freed after her ransom was paid, according to reports.

Abu Sayyaf, a loose group numbering several hundred fighters, uses ransom money to fund its Islamic separatism campaign in southern Philippines.

One of its leaders, Isnilon Hapilon, who has a $5m bounty on his head, recently pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group operating in Syria and Iraq. However, the US has designated the group a terrorist entity for its connections to al-Qaeda.