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Prime Minister Najib Razak said he was “shocked and sickened” by the murder of Malaysian engineer Bernard Then, who was beheaded by the Abu Sayyaf Islamic militant group in the southern Philippines.

“We condemn it in its strongest terms,” Najib said in a statement posted on Facebook Wednesday. “We call upon authorities to take action against those who have perpetrated this savage and barbaric act and ensure that they are brought to justice."

Then’s murder follows the Islamic State’s claims of responsibility for the carnage in Paris that killed at least 129 people last week, and comes as global leaders meet in Manila for talks on Pacific Rim matters. They will vow to boost cooperation in the fight against terrorism, according to a draft communique obtained by Bloomberg.

“The decapitation of Then will definitely lead to a further crackdown on terrorism as the Abu Sayyaf group has strong allegiance to the Islamic State,” Mohd Kamarulnizam Abdullah, a professor specializing in political violence at Universiti Utara Malaysia, said by phone. “The incident is an embarrassment to the Philippine government because it shows their inability to deal with terrorism.”

The Abu Sayyaf group beheaded the 39-year-old engineer in the island of Jolo because a ransom demand wasn’t met, the Star newspaper reported Wednesday, citing Brigadier-General Alan Arrojado, commander of the Joint Task Group Sulu. The militants plan to release the video of the beheading, unnamed social workers told the Malaysian daily. Then is the first Malaysian hostage to be beheaded by the group.

A four-decade Muslim insurgency in the southern province of Mindanao has left as many as 200,000 people dead. Kidnappers in the region, including the Abu Sayyaf group, often take hostages for ransom.

Philippine troops on Jolo are verifying the incident, according to a statement Wednesday. “Police and armed forces have continued ground operations,” Mario Buyuccan, Sulu provincial police director, said by phone. “It’s just that we intensified the operations by shifting into areas of concern.”

— With assistance by Siegfrid Alegado, and David Tweed