Bigley executed 'because UK didn't meet group's demands'

A witness has said they have seen a video showing British hostage Ken Bigley beheaded by his captors in Iraq.

He said it shows six hooded armed men standing behind the kneeling Bigley, whom the witness recognised from two previous tapes released by the kidnappers.

One of the six then spoke in Arabic for about a minute.

Then the speaker took a knife from his belt and severed Bigley’s head as three others held him down, the witness said.

The tape ends with the killer holding up the severed head.

Before carrying out the gruesome murder, the killer said they planned to carry out “the sentence of execution against this hostage” because the British government “did not meet our demand” to release Iraqi women detained by the US led command in Iraq.