French hostage beheaded by Algerian IS-linked group

A militant group in Algeria has claimed the beheading of a French hostage, Herve Gourdel, in an apparent revenge attack for the ongoing US-led airstrikes against IS positions in Iraq and Syria.

Gourdel, a 55-year old from Nice, was on holiday in Algeria, and the Algerian Foreign Ministry confirmed on Monday that he had been kidnapped.

Gourdel worked as a mountain guide, and numerous pictures of him demonstrate his spirit of adventure and love of travel.

He was on a trip to hike and explore the caves of central Algeria, and was kidnapped while driving through the mountainous region of Tizi Ouzou.

Jund al-Khilafa, an Algerian militia group whose name is the Arabic for “Soldier of the Caliphate”, reportedly released a video showing Gourdel being beheaded, in an echo of the tactics famously used by Islamic State militants in beheading large numbers of Syrians and Iraqis as well as four Western hostages.

The group had on Monday threatened to kill Gourdel, who was kidnapped on Sunday, within 24 hours unless France stopped its airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria.

In the video released on Monday, Gourdel had begged the French authorities to step in and save him.

His apparent killing comes five days after French politicians decided to join the US-led coalition that aims to combat the group.

After news of Gourdel's killing broke, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls defended his country's policy of participation in the strikes.

It appears that he was originally targeted for kidnap because of his French nationality – militants released two of Gourdel’s Algerian companions, but kept him and later released a video showing him being held at an unknown location surrounded by armed militants with their faces masked.

A support page set up to remember Gourdel while he was in captivity confirmed the news of his death on Wednesday afternoon, saying “they have killed him.”

Seven hours prior to news of Gourdel’s killing breaking, the group posted a pessimistic message.

"The deadline has now passed, we are now fearing the worst. We ask everyone to keep Herve and his family in their thoughts, and even for whoever wants to to pray."

Little is known about the SITE intelligence group, the organisation that monitors the “jihadist threat” and leaked the story online.

It has been responsible for breaking the news of the four Western hostages previously beheaded by Islamic State militants.