KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 17 — Sarawakian engineer Bernard Then has been killed by Abu Sayyaf terrorists, a senior Philippines military official said today.

Brigadier General Alan Arrojado of the Sulu joint task force group said the militant group beheaded Then after the 39-year-old’s family failed to comply with its ransom demands, Filipino news portal Inquirer reported this evening.

“The family of Bernard Then Ted Fen failed to comply with the demand of the Indanan-based Abu Sayyaf led by sub-leaders Alden Bagade and Idang Susukan during their negotiation that prompted them to execute their plan of beheading the victim in Taran, in Indanan at about 4pm,” the official was quoted saying.

Malay Mail Online was unable to independently verify the news or reach Sabah police chief Datuk Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman for confirmation of Then’s death.

However, a policeman told The Star Online he has yet to receive word about Then.

Based on the military’s intelligence sources, the victim was buried immediately after he was killed.

The Filipino news portal further quoted the official saying the killing took place “almost simultaneously with the bombardment and rocket fires” by the military against the Abu Sayyaf, who are based in the southern Philippines.

The Philippine Marine and Scout Ranger units have been ordered to find and recover Then’s body, the official added.

Then, together with another Malaysian Thien Nyuk Fun, 50, was abducted on May 15 from the popular Ocean King seafood restaurant in Sandakan town during peak dinner hours.

The Abu Sayyaf freed Thien last week, but held onto Then after negotiations hit a deadlock.