Britain suspects Nigerian hostage is dead

It's likely that a British construction worker along with six other foreigners was killed by Nigerian militants, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said. Nigerian militant group Ansura, allied with al-Qaida, showed in an online video what are believed to be the bodies of several dead Westerners. The Guardian newspaper in London said British construction worker Brendan Vaughan was likely among the dead. Hague, in a statement, said it was "likely" that a British construction worker, abducted Feb. 16, was killed by his captors. "This was an act of cold-blooded murder, which I condemn in the strongest terms," he said in a statement. He didn't identify the hostage by name. The Guardian reports the Nigerian military stated that it wasn't involved in an effort to rescue the hostages nor was it able to confirm claims made by the militants. Hague said the British government was grateful to the Nigerian government for its "unstinting" assistance. "Responsibility for this tragic outcome rests squarely with the terrorists," he said. Unidentified security sources told the British newspaper that Ansura militants may have reacted to word that British intelligence assets in Nigeria had located the hostages.