Canada hostage killed in Philippines
Robert Hall was kidnapped in September along with three other hostages from Canada, the Philippines and Norway, BBC News reports.
Mr Hall was killed on Monday after a deadline for a ransom expired, security sources told Canadian broadcaster CBC and Philippine news website Rappler.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he believed it was "likely" that Mr Hall had been killed by his captors.
"It is with deep sadness that I have reason to believe that a Canadian citizen, Robert Hall, held hostage in the Philippines since September 21, 2015, has been killed by his captors," Mr Trudeau said in a statement.
Abu Sayyaf had previously demanded a multi-million dollar ransom.
The Philippine and Canadian governments are opposed to paying ransoms for hostages.
Instead, the Philippines have launched military operations against the militant group.
Mr Hall, his Filipina partner Marites Flor, Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad and Canadian John Ridsdel were kidnapped from a marina near the city of Davao in September.
They were taken to an Abu Sayyaf stronghold on the remote island of Jolo, and Mr Ridsdel was killed on 25 April after a ransom deadline passed.
Abu Sayyaf is a fragmented but violent militant group with its roots in the Islamist separatist insurgency in the southern Philippines. Several of its factions have aligned themselves with the so-called Islamic State.
It has repeatedly taken hostages over the years but has often released them in exchange for ransoms.
It is still holding several captives, including a Dutch birdwatcher taken in 2012.
