A jihadist group has just released video showing the beheading of a French citizen who was abducted this weekend in Algeria.

Herve Gourdel, a 55-year old mountain guide and photographer from Nice, was travelling in the Kabylie section of Algeria when he was taken hostage on Sunday, September 21, 2014.

The Algeria-based jihadist group called Jund al-Khilafa threatened to kill Gourdel within 24 hours of taking him if France did not put an end to US-led airstrikes in Iraq and Syria.  In the first video, believed to be the work of an ISIS / ISIL associated group that calls itself the Caliphate Soldiers, a man identifying himself as Gourdel makes a plea to French President Francois Hollande to secure his release.

The Associated Press is reporting that the U.S. terrorism watchdog SITE Intelligence group has confirmed the release of the video, the authenticity of which has not yet been confirmed.  The government of France has not yet commented.

This is the original video where Gourdel allegedly makes his plea to the French President:

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