Video 'shows bodies of foreign hostages in Nigeria'

A video posted to the Internet claims to show the bodies of at least some of the seven foreign hostages believed killed by Islamist extremist group Ansaru following their abduction in Nigeria. The grainy and silent video posted to YouTube and seen by AFP on Monday appears to show at least four victims. The images match previous screenshots released at the weekend along with the claim that the hostages had been executed following their abduction last month. The video is titled in Arabic "the death of the seven Christian hostages in Nigeria," while the English statement announcing the executions is also copied in below. Britain, Italy and Greece on Sunday said that the claim by Ansaru that it had killed seven foreign hostages appeared to be true. The seven foreigners were abducted from a construction site of Lebanese-owned company Setraco on February 16 in Bauchi state in Nigeria's north. Nigerian police last month said the hostages were four Lebanese, one Briton, a Greek citizen and an Italian. A company official later said the Middle Eastern hostages included two Lebanese and two Syrians.