US president Barack Obama has said that he authorised the attempt to rescue hostage Luke Somers in Yemen because the US had information that the British-born photojournalist’s life was in imminent danger.

A British-born photographer held hostage by Al Qaida in Yemen has been killed in a failed rescue attempt, his sister has said.

The mother and brother of a British-born photojournalist have appealed to his al-Qaida captors to spare him, saying he “was only trying to do good”.

Al-Qaida has threatened to murder a British-born photographer held hostage by the extremist Islamic group, according to a terrorist monitoring organisation.