Foreign Secretary, Philip Hammond said:

My deepest condolences are with the families of both hostages at this time. We utterly condemn al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) for the brutal murder of these two men.

Luke had close links with the UK and his family have spoken about Luke’s life and his work, and that is how he should be remembered.

I salute the forces involved, who showed great courage in carrying out this mission. We continue to work with our international and Yemeni partners to counter the threat from Al Qaida and other terrorist groups.

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