A Briton and an Italian held hostage in Nigeria were killed by their captors before they could be freed by a rescue mission, British prime minister David Cameron said yesterday.
Mr Cameron said he had authorised the failed operation, conducted with the Nigerian government, after being told the men’s lives were in “imminent and growing danger”. He said Briton Chris McManus and Italian Franco Lamolinara had been taken hostage in northern Nigeria in May 2011. “Preparations were made to mount an operation to attempt to rescue Chris and Franco. Together with the Nigerian government, today I authorised it to go ahead, with UK support,” he said. “It is with great regret that I have to say that both Chris and Franco have lost their lives. We are still awaiting confirmation of the details, but the early indications are clear that both men were murdered by their captors before they could be rescued.”
In August a video of the men surfaced in the Nigerian capital Abuja with the two men on their knees, blindfolded, with three men holding guns behind them.
– (Reuters)