John Ridsdel

John Bramwell Ridsdel (9 September 1947 – 25 April 2016)[1] was an English-born Canadian businessman from Calgary, Alberta; kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf militants in the Philippines on 21 September 2015, and beheaded on 25 April 2016. He was 68 years old.

John Ridsdel
Born
John Bramwell Ridsdel

9 September 1947
London, United Kingdom
Died25 April 2016 (aged 68)
Sulu, Philippines
Cause of deathBeheading
Body discoveredSulu, Philippines
Alma materUniversity of Toronto
London School of Economics
OccupationBusinessman, journalist

Early life and career

Ridsdel's family originated from Britain. His mother was a Scottish-born nurse and his father a London-based physician. After moving to Durban, South Africa, and Saskatchewan, Canada, the Ridsdel family returned to Great Britain for a while, before again settling in Canada, first in Vancouver and finally in Calgary.

Ridsdel attended Upper Canada College in Toronto, Ontario, in the mid-1960s, then later graduated with a bachelor's degree in political science from the University of Toronto and a master's degree in political sociology from the London School of Economics.[2]

He initially worked as a producer and reporter at CBC Calgary and at the Calgary Herald, before he joined Petro-Canada in Alberta, a company he represented in Pakistan, Myanmar and Algeria.

At the time of the kidnapping, he was working for the mining company TVI Resource Development Philippines Inc.,[3] a subsidiary of Canada's TVI Pacific, where he was also a consultant.

Kidnapping and death

Ridsdel was kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf militants in the Philippines on 21 September 2015, in a raid on Holiday Ocean View Samal Resort, on Samal Island in the southern Philippines. After the gunmen disarmed the resort's security guards, they abducted four people from the resort, the Canadians John Ridsdel and Robert Hall, the resort's Norwegian marina manager Kjartan Sekkingstad, and a Filipino woman, Teresita Flor.[4]

The kidnappers later issued demands for a hefty ransom to be paid for the release of the hostages, reportedly 300 million pesos (around $6.5 million) for each of the three foreigners seized. As the deadline lapsed on 25 April 2016, they apparently beheaded Ridsdel. Ridsdel's head was found in a plastic bag in Jolo.[5] A headless body, possibly Ridsdel's, was later found by villagers by a creek bed near Talipao. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police launched an international murder investigation.[6]

Canadian Member of Parliament Bob Rae, a close friend of Ridsdel, said, "The numbers being bandied about were in the millions and millions of dollars and none of the families involved had that kind of cash."[7] Canadian newspaper Toronto Star published (from 30 November – 7 December 2016) "Held Hostage",[8] an eight-part investigation into what really happens when a Canadian is taken hostage abroad. The Star revealed "a system ripe for overhaul", and ways Canada could change its approach, so it may be more effectively prepared in future.[9]

References
  1. "The End: John Ridsdel, 1948-2016". www.macleans.ca. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  2. Ha, Tu Than (22 September 2015). VanderKlippe, Nathan; Chowdhry, Affan (eds.). "Canadian abducted in Philippines was trying to help others". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
  3. Murphy, Brian (25 April 2016). "Islamist militants behead Canadian man in southern Philippines". The Washington Post. Retrieved 25 April 2016.
  4. The Associated Press (22 September 2015). "Former Calgary journalist among 4 abducted by gunmen on Philippine island". CBC News. CBC/Radio-Canada. Retrieved 21 June 2019 – via CBC.ca.
  5. Zimonjic, Peter (25 April 2016). "Justin Trudeau condemns killing of Canadian hostage John Ridsdel". CBC News. CBC/Radio-Canada. Retrieved 25 April 2016 – via CBC.ca.
  6. Bronskill, Jim (27 April 2016). "RCMP launches investigation to bring John Ridsdel killers to Canadian justice". CBC News. CBC/Radio-Canada. Retrieved 21 June 2019 – via CBC.ca.
  7. Griffiths, James; King, Jessica; Shoichet, Catherine (25 April 2016). Beltran, Richard (ed.). "Militants kill Canadian hostage John Ridsdel in the Philippines". CNN. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Retrieved 21 June 2019.
  8. "Held Hostage". Toronto Star. Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
  9. Shephard, Michelle; Potter, Mitch (7 December 2016). "What Canada should do when its citizens are kidnapped abroad". Toronto Star. Toronto Star Newspapers Ltd. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
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