Members of the Taliban movement of Pakistan, a group linked to Al Qaeda, announced Saturday, February 7, that they have beheaded the Polish engineer they kidnapped in late September in the northwest region of Pakistan. “The beheading took place Friday evening upon the expiration of the last ultimatum,” said an official of Tehrik Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Warsaw publicly refused to pay ransom.
The execution of Piotr Stanczak, kidnapped on 28 September, took place in the tribal district of South Waziristan, the stronghold of Baitullah Mehsud, leader of the Pakistani Taliban. The group announced that a video of the execution would be made public soon.
Piotr Stanczak was abducted by armed men near Attock, about 110 kilometers west of Islamabad, not far from the tribal areas where the army is facing Pakistani Taliban. The driver and bodyguards were killed on the spot. The kidnappers had initially demanded the release of 30 Islamist fighters held in Pakistan. A large ransom demand followed soon. “The Polish government does not pay ransom ever,” said Polish prime minister Donald Tusk shortly before the expiry of the ultimatum.
Via guardian.co.uk
