The family of a US hostage being held in the Philippines said yesterday the FBI told them it was likely he had been a victim of "foul play". But his relatives clung to the slim hope he was still alive.
Muslim rebels holding Mr Guillermo Sobero along with two other US citizens and 17 Filipinos said on Tuesday they had executed him. Two headless bodies were found but officials identified both bodies as those of local men.
Mr Alberto Sobero, brother of the hostage, said the State Department told them it could take days to identify the two bodies.
"The FBI has told us the likelihood that he (Mr Sobero) has met foul play is now very high," he added from his home in Cathedral, California.
The rebels seized Mr Sobero, an American missionary couple and 17 Filipinos from a beach resort near Palawan island on May 27th. After escapes, rescues and fresh seizures, they now hold more than two dozen hostages.
Mr Sobero said he was still clinging to the hope his brother was alive. "That's all we have left now - just hope. If indeed they have killed him they have left four children without a father and a grieving mother.
"We are still clinging to that very slim hope that he will return."
He said if the Muslim rebels had harmed his brother, it was time for the Bush administration to change its policy of not intervening in such situations.
"If they have in fact harmed my brother then maybe it is time for the Bush administration to change the way it has been handling the situation."