Canadian hostage John Ridsdel killed by militants in the Philippines

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the killing as “an act of cold-blood murder.”

John Ridsdel appears in his Twitter photo. (John Ridsdel/Twitter)

Canadian hostage John Ridsdel has been killed by Abu Sayyaf militants in the Philippines.

Ridsdel, 68, was beheaded by his kidnappers just hours after their demand for ransom expired on Monday.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the killing as “an act of cold-blood murder.”

“Canada condemns without reservation the brutality of the hostage-takers and this unnecessary death,” Trudeau said in a televised address. “This was an act of cold-blooded murder and responsibility rests squarely with the terrorist group who took him hostage.”

Prime Minister Trudeau issues statement on the Killing of a Canadian hostage In the Philippines https://t.co/xPypbAVFxd

— STEPS AFTER DARK (@StepsAfterDark) April 25, 2016

While spending his vacation in the Philippines, Ridsdel, a semi-retired mining executive, was captured along with three others by the militants in September 2015.

Ridsdel's family later issued a statement saying that he “loved life and lived it to the fullest with his family and friends at the center."

"He was loved by all his friends and adored by his daughters, sister and extended family,” the statement read, according to the CBC. “Our family is devastated at the loss of our father and brother John Ridsdel whose life was cut tragically short by this senseless act of violence.”

Army officials found a severed head inside a plastic bag on Monday in Jolo, a capital in southern Philippines.

The discovery came five hours after the deadline for ransom expired, CBS News reports. Kidnappers were demanding 300 million pesos ($6.5 million) for each of the three Canadian men held captive.

Bob Rae, a close friend of Ridsdel, said that the last sixth months have been "very paintful."

"I've been involved behind the scenes for the last six months," Rae told the CBC, "trying to find a solution [has] been very painful."