TWO al-Qaeda hostages were shot dead by their kidnappers as British special forces launched a rescue mission. Brit Chris McManus was slaughtered alongside his colleague Franco Lamolinara inside a heavily fortified compound in Nigeria. Prime Minister David Cameron had given the go-ahead for the assault within hours of the extremists being tracked down to Sokoto in the north-west of the country. A team of eight Special Boat Service commandos and 12 Royal Marines went in, killing two of the kidnappers. Chris and Italian Franco, 47, were shot dead as the terrorists fled in confusion. They had been taken hostage in May last year while working for an Italian construction company. They were paraded by their captors – calling themselves al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb – in a video last August. Yesterday, Cameron said he and the Nigerian government had given the go-ahead for the assault after “a window of opportunity arose to secure their release”. He added: “We also had reason to believe that their lives were under imminent and growing danger. “The early indications are that both men were murdered by their captors before they could be rescued. “Our immediate thoughts must be with Chris and Franco’s families, and we offer our condolences. “This is a devastating moment for all of them. “I spoke to the McManus family just before Christmas and I have spoken to them again with the news this afternoon. “I also want to pay tribute to all those, including UK personnel, who worked so hard to try to bring Chris home safely. I am very sorry that this ended so tragically.” A Whitehall source said: “These are extremely unpleasant people and have killed many times before so the SBS knew they had to go in immediately. “This was a good plan but the breach had to take place in a densely populated area.” Chris was from the north-west of England. A statement from his family said: “We knew Chris was in an extremely dangerous situation. “However, we knew that everything that could be done was being done. “Our thoughts are also of course with the loved ones of Chris’s colleague, Franco, who are also coming to terms with this sad news. “We now need time to grieve and come to terms with our loss.” Italian prime minister Mario Monti said Cameron said the Italians were only informed once the operation was under way. In October 2010, kidnapped Scots aid worker Linda Norgrove was killed after a similar failed rescue mission in Afghanistan. The 36-year-old Lewis woman was accidentally blown up when one of the US Navy SEALS trying to save her threw a grenade.
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