British hostage killed by al-Qaeda militants in Mali (Roundup)

Jun 3, 2009, 10:41 GMT

London - A British man taken hostage with a group of western tourists in Mali four months ago has been 'executed' by al-Qaeda militants, the government in London said Wednesday.

According to unconfirmed reports, the militants who killed Edwin Dyer had demanded that the British government should free Abu Qatada, a Muslim cleric and convicted Jordanian extremist held in jail in Britain.

In a statement, Prime Minister Gordon Brown condemned the killing of Dyer as an 'appalling and barbaric act of terrorism.'

'This tragedy reinforces our commitment to confront terrorism. It strengthens our determination never to concede to the demands of terrorists, nor to pay ransoms,' Brown said.

'I want those who would use terror against British citizens to know beyond doubt that we and our allies will pursue them relentlessly, and that they will meet the justice they deserve.'

Earlier, in a statement posted on an Islamism website, a group calling itself al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), said it had killed Dyer after the British government failed to respond to its demands.

A ransom of 10 million euros (14.2 million dollars) had been demanded for Dyer's safe return, according to unconfirmed reports.

'The British captive was killed so that he, and with him the British state, may taste a tiny portion of what innocent Muslims taste every day at the hands of the Crusader and Jewish coalition to the east and to the west,' the AQIM statement said.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the 'tragic news' of Dyer's murder had been received 'despite the strenuous efforts' of the governments in Britain and Mali, and 'valuable help from international partners,' to achieve his release.

The BBC said British officials had been using intermediaries to try to secure Dyer's release. But the British government had refused ransom demands, while other European governments were understood to have made ransom payments to secure their hostages' release.

Dyer, who spoke fluent German and had been working in Austria, was kidnapped on the border between Mali and Niger on January 22, along with three other European tourists - a Swiss couple and a German woman.

Two of the other hostages had been released, but one Swiss man remained in captivity, the BBC reported.

Dyer was on holiday in West Africa with German travel operator Oase Reisen. The tourists were seized near the border with Niger after attending a festival of nomad culture at Anderamboukane in Mali.

Following the release of two captives in April the terrorists issued an ultimatum, warning they would kill Dyer unless Britain freed Abu Qatada within 20 days.

The deadline was extended by 15 days to May 30.

Qatada is currently being held in Long Lartin prison north of Birmingham as he fights a bid to extradite him to Jordan on terrorism charges.

Britain's Law Lords ruled in February that he could be deported, but his lawyers are appealing against the verdict, claiming that he faces torture if he is returned to Jordan.

Qatada was first arrested in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks on America and has been described as al-Qaeda's 'spiritual leader in Europe.'