7 Foreign Hostages Killed: Radical Islamic Fighters in Nigeria Kill Foreigners, Italy Says

Radical Islamic fighters killed seven foreign hostages in Nigeria, European diplomats said it on Sunday. It is the worst kidnapping violence in decades, as reported by the Huffington Post. Nigeria's police, military, domestic spy service and presidency remained silent over the killings of the construction company workers, who were kidnapped February 16 from the northern Bauchi. The victims included four Lebanese, and one citizen apiece from Britain, Greece and Italy.

"It's an atrocious act of terrorism, against which the Italian government expresses its firmest condemnation, and which has no explanation," a statement from Italy's foreign ministry read. Italy also denied a claim that the hostages were killed before or during a military operation by Nigerian and British forces, saying there was "no military intervention aimed at freeing the hostages."

Italian Premier Mario Monti identified the slain Italian hostage as Silvan Trevisan and promised Rome would use "every effort" to stop the killers. British Foreign Secretary William Hague called the killing "an act of cold-blooded murder" and identified the U.K victim as Brendan Vaughan.

"I am grateful to the Nigerian government for their unstinting help and cooperation," Hague said in a statement, without addressing the claim that the U.K. had launched a rescue effort.

The gunmen were "organized, and knew who they wanted to target, leaving the Nigerian household staff at the residence unharmed, while quickly abducting the foreigners, a witness said," according to the Huffington Post. A spokesman

The U.K. has offered military support in the past in Nigeria to free hostages. In March 2012, its special forces backed a failed Nigerian military raid to free Christopher McManus, who had been abducted months earlier with Italian Franco Lamolinara from a home in Kebbi state. Both hostages were killed in that rescue attempt.

Tags

Nigeria, Radical Islamic Fighters, Hostages, International Affairs

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