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| British hostage believed killed in Nigeria was due to be grandfather | British hostage believed killed in Nigeria was due to be grandfather |
| (10 days later) | |
| The British construction worker apparently killed by terrorists in Nigeria was denied the chance to meet his first grandchild, his family said . | The British construction worker apparently killed by terrorists in Nigeria was denied the chance to meet his first grandchild, his family said . |
| Brendan Vaughan, 55, was due to become a grandfather with the birth in the family of a baby girl in May but the "lovable rogue" never had the chance. In a statement released through the Foreign Office, they said: "The family of Brendan Vaughan aged 55 from Rothwell, Leeds are obviously shocked and saddened by recent events. | Brendan Vaughan, 55, was due to become a grandfather with the birth in the family of a baby girl in May but the "lovable rogue" never had the chance. In a statement released through the Foreign Office, they said: "The family of Brendan Vaughan aged 55 from Rothwell, Leeds are obviously shocked and saddened by recent events. |
| "Brendan, best described as a lovable rogue by everyone who knew him, lived his life to the full and on his own terms. He has been deprived of meeting his first grandchild, a baby girl to be born in May, Brendan may be gone but will be never forgotten. | "Brendan, best described as a lovable rogue by everyone who knew him, lived his life to the full and on his own terms. He has been deprived of meeting his first grandchild, a baby girl to be born in May, Brendan may be gone but will be never forgotten. |
| "The family would like to thank friends and family for their support, kindness and condolences." | "The family would like to thank friends and family for their support, kindness and condolences." |
| Vaughan's Thai girlfriend, Orasa Arpornkaew, also has paid tribute to the British construction worker. | Vaughan's Thai girlfriend, Orasa Arpornkaew, also has paid tribute to the British construction worker. |
| Vaughan, 55, originally from Leeds, had apparently started a new life in Thailand and was in a relationship with Arpornkaew who posted a message on her Facebook page saying he was "always in my heart." | Vaughan, 55, originally from Leeds, had apparently started a new life in Thailand and was in a relationship with Arpornkaew who posted a message on her Facebook page saying he was "always in my heart." |
| He was working in northern Nigeria for the Lebanese construction company Setraco when he and six colleagues were taken hostage on 16 February by the al-Qaida-affiliated Nigerian Islamist group Ansaru. | He was working in northern Nigeria for the Lebanese construction company Setraco when he and six colleagues were taken hostage on 16 February by the al-Qaida-affiliated Nigerian Islamist group Ansaru. |
| The foreign secretary, William Hague, said on Sunday Vaughan was "likely to have been killed at the hands of his captors" along with other six in "an unforgivable act of pure cold-blooded murder". | The foreign secretary, William Hague, said on Sunday Vaughan was "likely to have been killed at the hands of his captors" along with other six in "an unforgivable act of pure cold-blooded murder". |
| Ansaru has posted a video online showing what appears to be a gunman standing next to a pile of bodies, then close-ups of faces lit up by a torch, according to Reuters. | Ansaru has posted a video online showing what appears to be a gunman standing next to a pile of bodies, then close-ups of faces lit up by a torch, according to Reuters. |
| A Nigerian secret service official told the Guardian that three of the hostages were believed to have been seriously ill during their captivity. Vaughan was a diabetic, while another suffered from hypertension. Attempts to pass medication to them through members of Ansaru had been unsuccessful, the source said. | A Nigerian secret service official told the Guardian that three of the hostages were believed to have been seriously ill during their captivity. Vaughan was a diabetic, while another suffered from hypertension. Attempts to pass medication to them through members of Ansaru had been unsuccessful, the source said. |
| As news spread of the suspected killingsof hostages who included four Lebanese construction workers, an Italian and a Greek, a friend of Vaughan, Dom Cooney, posted: "Cant believe it. He was like an ox." Another friend, Peter Dixon, posted a picture of Vaughan raising a glass of beer outside a beach bar with the simple statement: "RIP mate."Vaughan's Facebook page includes details of where he was working in northern Nigeria and a photo of armed protection guards at his compound about which he said: "They don't carry them for show." | As news spread of the suspected killingsof hostages who included four Lebanese construction workers, an Italian and a Greek, a friend of Vaughan, Dom Cooney, posted: "Cant believe it. He was like an ox." Another friend, Peter Dixon, posted a picture of Vaughan raising a glass of beer outside a beach bar with the simple statement: "RIP mate."Vaughan's Facebook page includes details of where he was working in northern Nigeria and a photo of armed protection guards at his compound about which he said: "They don't carry them for show." |
| The terrorists said they killed the "seven Christian foreigners" because they believed British jets were being readied for a rescue mission, a claim the Ministry of Defence has denied. An intelligence source in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, named the Italian as Silvano Trevisan. | The terrorists said they killed the "seven Christian foreigners" because they believed British jets were being readied for a rescue mission, a claim the Ministry of Defence has denied. An intelligence source in the Nigerian capital, Abuja, named the Italian as Silvano Trevisan. |
| Official silence shrouds the affair, with no statement released by the Nigerian government two days after Ansaru said it had killed the workers. | Official silence shrouds the affair, with no statement released by the Nigerian government two days after Ansaru said it had killed the workers. |
| "Up to this moment in time, I have nothing to confirm that the hostages have been killed. Our investigations are still ongoing to ascertain whether they are alive or not," said Hassan Mohammed, police spokesman for Bauchi state. | "Up to this moment in time, I have nothing to confirm that the hostages have been killed. Our investigations are still ongoing to ascertain whether they are alive or not," said Hassan Mohammed, police spokesman for Bauchi state. |
| Ansaru came into the spotlight when it kidnapped and murdered British construction worker Christopher McManus, 28, and his Italian colleague Franco Lamolinara, 47, in February 2012. | Ansaru came into the spotlight when it kidnapped and murdered British construction worker Christopher McManus, 28, and his Italian colleague Franco Lamolinara, 47, in February 2012. |
| Unlike Boko Haram, its violent campaign appears to be aimed squarely at raising its profile through international targets. Ansaru also claimed responsibility for an attack that killed two and wounded eight Mali-bound soldiers in the central Nigerian state of Kogi in January this year. | Unlike Boko Haram, its violent campaign appears to be aimed squarely at raising its profile through international targets. Ansaru also claimed responsibility for an attack that killed two and wounded eight Mali-bound soldiers in the central Nigerian state of Kogi in January this year. |
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