Canada, Britain will work to stop other countries from paying terrorist ransoms

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday he will work with British Prime Minister David Cameron to convince other countries to stop paying ransoms to terrorists.

Canadian John Ridsdel was held hostage by Abu Sayyaf militants in the Philippines, and on Monday was murdered hours after a demand for ransom went ignored. Trudeau defended his stance against paying ransom to terrorists, either directly or indirectly, by saying the money pays for future terrorist activities, puts a target on citizens of certain countries, and sets a precedent. "Paying ransom for Canadians would endanger the lives of every single one of the millions of Canadians who live, work, and travel around the globe every single year," he said.

Trudeau said he spoke with Cameron about their shared opposition to paying ransom, and they "agreed that it is something we are going to make sure we do bring up with our friends and allies around the world as we come to grips with the fact that the world is a dangerous place." Although several western countries agreed in 2013 to stop paying ransom to terrorist groups, France, Italy, Germany, and Spain have reportedly paid terrorist groups to release citizens they are holding hostage, The Guardian reports.

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