A video has been released that shows a French hostage being beheaded by a group linked to Islamic State, it is being reported.
Herve Gourdel, a 55-year-old hiker from Nice in southern France, was kidnapped on Sunday by Jund al Khilafah.
The group had given France a 24-hour deadline to stop its airstrikes against IS in Iraq. In the clip issued by the Algerian militants, the tourist was seen kneeling with his arms bound behind his back, as four masked men read a message in Arabic which condemned France.
Mr Gourdel was then pushed on to his side and held down. Shortly after the group - known as the Caliphate Soldiers in English - released the video, France's foreign minister Laurent Fabius insisted the abduction would not deter his nation's participation in a US-led offensive against IS.
The video was entitled "A Message With Blood To The French Government", and began to circulate on jihadist websites on Wednesday. It began with an excerpt of Francois Hollande, France's president, making a speech, before showing Mr Gourdel in his final moments of life.
INC News, 24/0/2014
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