Captors 'shoot-to-kill' order

The Nigerian captors of British engineer Chris McManus and his Italian colleague had standing orders to shoot their hostages at the first sign of trouble, according to Sky sources.

The information follows the initial interrogation of five suspects arrested in the raid by British and Nigerian special forces on Thursday.

It is understood one of the men has admitted: "We had a standing instruction to kill the hostages immediately we sight any security agents around the building.

"We were to kill the hostages since we were not sure of being alive after any encounter with security men."

Mr McManus and Francesco Molinara were found dead in Sokoto in the northwest of the country after the failed rescue attempt.

Following criticism of Britain's "inexplicable behaviour" from Italy's president, William Hague has insisted it had been impossible to inform the Italian authorities in advance.

The Foreign Secretary said there had been a "limited opportunity" for saving the two construction workers, whose lives had been in "imminent and growing danger".

The attempt by Nigerian troops and UK Special Boat Service (SBS) commandos to end the men's nine months in captivity was apparently brought forward because the kidnappers - believed to be members of a jihadi group associated with al Qaeda - became aware that the net was closing around them.

There were reports of a fierce firefight after the house was surrounded.

Italian president Giorgio Napolitano said it was "inexplicable" that Downing Street had not alerted Rome to the plan in advance.

The behaviour of the British Government in not informing Italy is inexplicable," he said. "A political and diplomatic clarification is necessary."

And diplomat Antonio Puri Purini said the events had been an "unacceptable slap in the face" for his countrymen.

Writing in the leading Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, he claimed Britain's nostalgia for its imperialist days had led it to act alone.

However, Number 10 said contacts had taken place between the governments as the operation got under way, and David Cameron spoke to Italian prime minister Mario Monti by phone after it was learned that the hostages were dead.

Culled from-news.sky.com

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