A spokesman for Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram has denied it was responsible for the kidnapping and killing of a Briton and Italian during a failed rescue operation.

Engineers Chris McManus and Francesco Molinara were shot dead by their captors in Sokoto in the northwest of the country as British and Nigerian special forces launched an attempt to free them.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan and security sources blamed Boko Haram, which has waged a violent campaign of gun and explosives attacks mainly in the country's northeast, for the kidnapping.


But Boko Haram spokesman Abul Qaqa told reporters in a conference call: "We have never been involved in hostage-taking and it's not part of our style, and we never ask for ransom.

"We know how to settle our scores with anybody. Therefore the allegation that the kidnappers were members of our group is ridiculous."

According to Sky sources the operation to free the hostages began when a Nigerian armoured personnel carrier rammed its way into the building where they were being held.

The Special Boat Service (SBS) then killed two of the kidnappers. Nigerian sources said another six were killed by their forces, possibly while trying to escape a cordon thrown up around the scene.

The Italian government has demanded an explanation from British authorities as to why it was not informed about the rescue attempt until it was under way.

But the speed with which the "go-no go" decision was taken by David Cameron was driven by rapidly emerging intelligence that the hostages were in imminent danger of being moved or killed.

This emerged after the arrest of the group's leader on Tuesday.

"On Tuesday, the security agencies were able to arrest the factional leader of Boko Haram, Abu Mohammed and four members of the sect," a source said.

"These five suspects… later showed the security agencies the compound where the hostages were holed up. But they also raised concern that the hostages might be killed unless security agencies quickly moved into the compound to free them."



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