Islamic militants in the Philippines have beheaded a German hostage captured last November, the government in Manila said on Monday. 

Earlier in the day, a video posted by the Philippines-based Abu Sayyaf group showed 70-year-old Jurgen Kantner being killed by a knife-wielding man.

The group had previously demanded a ransom of 30 million pesos (600,000 US dollars) be paid by Sunday to spare the German. The execution came after the group's demands for the ransom were not met before the deadline. 

Abu Sayyaf, whose leaders have pledged allegiance to ISIL in the Middle East, have been kidnapping foreigners and Christians for decades, holding them for ransom in the jungles of the southern Philippines. 

(With inputs from AFP‍)