John Ridsdel
| John Ridsdel | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1947 United Kingdom |
| Died | 25 April 2016 (aged 68) |
| Cause of death | Beheading |
| Body discovered | Sulu, Philippines |
| Residence | Calgary, Alberta, Canada |
| Ethnicity | British |
| Alma mater |
University of Toronto London School of Economics |
| Occupation | Businessman, journalist |
John Ridsdel (1947 - 25 April 2016) was a Canadian businessman from Calgary, Alberta, who was kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf militants in the Philippines on September 21, 2015, and beheaded on 25 April 2016. He was 68 years old.
Early life and career
Ridsdel's family originated from Britain. His mother was a Scottish-born nurse and his father a London-based physician. After moving to Durban, South Africa, and Saskatchewan, Canada, the Ridsdel family returned to Great Britain for a while, before again settling in Canada, first in Vancouver and finally in Calgary.
Ridsdel attended Upper Canada College in Toronto, Ontario, in the mid-1960's, then later graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Toronto and a master’s degree in political sociology from the London School of Economics.[1]
He initially worked as a producer and reporter at CBC Calgary and at the Calgary Herald, before he joined Petro-Canada in Alberta, a company he represented in Pakistan, Myanmar and Algeria.
At the time of the kidnapping, he was working for the mining company TVI Resource Development Philippines Inc.,[2] a subsidiary of Canada's TVI Pacific, where he was also a consultant.
Kidnapping and death
He was kidnapped by Islamist Abu Sayyaf militants in the Philippines on September 21, 2015, in a raid on Holiday Ocean View Samal Resort, on Samal Island in the southern Philippines. After the gunmen disarmed the resort's security guards, they abducted four people from the resort, the Canadians John Ridsdel and Robert Hall, the resort's Norwegian marina manager Kjartan Sekkingstad, and a Filipino woman, Teresita Flor.[3]
The kidnappers later issued demands for a hefty ransom to be paid for the release of the hostages, reportedly 300 million pesos (around $6.5 million) for each of the three foreigners seized. As the deadline lapsed on 25 April 2016, they apparently beheaded Ridsdel. The fate of the other three is not known as of 26 April 2016. Ridsdel's head was found in a plastic bag in Jolo.[4] A headless body, possibly Ridsdel's, was later found by villagers by a creek bed near Talipao. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police launched an international murder investigation.[5]
Canadian Member of Parliament Bob Rae, a close friend of Ridsdel, said, "The numbers being bandied about were in the millions and millions of dollars and none of the families involved had that kind of cash."[6]
References
- ↑ The Globe and Mail': Canadian abducted in Philippines was trying to help others
- ↑ Murphy, Brian (25 April 2016). "Islamist militants behead Canadian man in southern Philippines". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- ↑ CBC.ca: Former Calgary journalist among 4 abducted by gunmen on Philippine island
- ↑ "Justin Trudeau condemns killing of Canadian hostage John Ridsdel". CBC News. 25 April 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
- ↑ "RCMP launches investigation to bring John Ridsdel killers to Canadian justice", by Jim Bronskill, Canadian Press
- ↑ "Militants kill Canadian hostage John Ridsdel in the Philippines", by James Griffiths, Jessica King and Catherine Shoichet, CNN