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French hostage Herve Gourdel 'beheaded in Algeria' French hostage Herve Gourdel 'beheaded in Algeria'
(35 minutes later)
An Algerian jihadist group has released a video that appears to show the beheading of French tourist Herve Gourdel, who was seized on Sunday.An Algerian jihadist group has released a video that appears to show the beheading of French tourist Herve Gourdel, who was seized on Sunday.
Militant group Jund al-Khilafa had set a 24-hour deadline on Tuesday for France to halt air strikes in Iraq. Jund al-Khilafa, an ally of the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria and Iraq, had set a 24-hour deadline for France to halt air strikes on IS in Iraq.
Mr Gourdel, 55, was abducted in the north-east Kabylie region.Mr Gourdel, 55, was abducted in the north-east Kabylie region.
France joined the US last week in launching air strikes on Islamic State (IS) militants in Iraq but did not take part in the strikes on IS in Syria. France joined US air strikes on IS in Iraq last week but has not taken part in strikes on the group in Syria.
French President Francois Hollande and his Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, publicly rejected the group's ultimatum on Tuesday. French President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Manuel Valls publicly rejected the group's ultimatum on Tuesday.
The video of Mr Gourdel apparently being killed was entitled "Message of blood for the French government", reports said. The video of Mr Gourdel apparently being killed was entitled "Message of blood for the French government".
IS itself has beheaded three Western hostages since August: US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and British aid worker David Haines. Their deaths were all filmed and posted online.IS itself has beheaded three Western hostages since August: US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, and British aid worker David Haines. Their deaths were all filmed and posted online.
The group has also threatened to kill Alan Henning, a taxi driver from the UK, who was seized while on an aid mission to Syria in December.The group has also threatened to kill Alan Henning, a taxi driver from the UK, who was seized while on an aid mission to Syria in December.
On Sunday, it warned it would target Americans and other Western citizens, "especially the spiteful and filthy French".
'Odious ultimatum'
Mr Gourdel was a mountain guide in the Mercantour national park north of the French city of Nice.
He had been organising treks through the Atlas Mountains of Morocco for some 20 years, AFP news agency reports.
Jund al-Khilafa (Soldiers of the Caliphate) pledged allegiance to IS on 14 September.
Until then it had been known as part of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which grew out of an Algerian militant group and is now active across North and parts of West Africa.
Who are Jund al-Khilafa?
The group claimed Toulouse gunman Mohamed Merah, a French citizen of Algerian origin, as a member after he killed seven people in south-western France in March 2012, French radio reports.
The militants said that they were responding to the IS call to attack citizens involved in strikes on Iraq and would kill Mr Gourdel unless France ended its military operation.
On Tuesday, President Hollande said: "As grave as this situation is, we will not give into any blackmail, any pressure, any ultimatum no matter how odious, how despicable."
France's public position is that it does not negotiate with militant groups but there have been reports of French citizens being released in West Africa after ransoms have been paid.
Four Frenchmen kidnapped in Niger were freed in October 2013 amid reports of a 20m-euro (£16m; £25m) ransom being paid. The government in Paris denied that was the case.