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'Considering the circumstances ... this is best-case scenario,' Cole Cusitar said.
The RCMP is conducting a criminal investigation into the murder of Canadian hostage John Ridsdel in the Philippines.
The Mounties are using a part of the Criminal Code to pursue the overseas investigation, and a senior official says it means the perpetrators, if found and charged, could one day face justice under Canadian law.
Ridsdel, a 68-year-old Calgarian who grew up in Yorkton, was beheaded this week after a large ransom demand from the Abu Sayyaf militant group went unpaid.
Police forensic experts are now trying to determine if the headless body of a Caucasian man that was found by villagers in the southern Philippines was that of Ridsdel.
The senior official — who did not want his name used — says if there is a reasonable prospect of mounting a successful rescue mission, it will happen.
But he said there are serious obstacles, not the least of which is the jungle terrain where the hostages are said to be held.
Canadian Robert Hall, who was abducted with Ridsdel from a marina in September 2015, is still being held along with several others.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this week that the Canadian government will not pay a ransom — directly or indirectly — to a terrorist group.