A British and Italian hostage have been killed after a botched rescue attempt to free the pair from kidnappers linked to Al Qaeda today.
Chris McManus and Franco Lamolinara, 48, had been held since May last year after being captured in northern Nigeria.
Their kidnappers are believed to have killed the hostages as a special forces team - including British troops - moved in to free them.
Eight members of the Special Boat Service, supported by between eight to 12 Royal Marine commandos, carried out the operation, along with Nigerian troops.
Their deaths were confirmed by David Cameron who phoned Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti to tell him the news.
The hostages were working together for Italian construction company Stabilini Visinoni building a new bank in Birnin Kebbi, the capital of the state of Kebbi, when they were seized by gunmen who burst into their shared apartment in May last year.
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A Nigerian and a German who were also in the building managed to escape but suffered injuries after being hit by bullets.
Mr McManus and Mr Lamolinara - who had been working in Nigeria for eleven years but was originally from Gattinara near Vercelli in north west Italy - were then seen pleading for their lives in a number of videos released by their captors.
Mr Cameron today said the rescue mission was launched after intelligence was received that their lives were in 'imminent and growing danger'.
Speaking today, he said the rescue attempt was mounted by Nigerian authorities with British support but both hostages were killed by their captors before they could be rescued.
'Since then, we have been working closely with the Nigerian authorities to try to find Chris and Franco, and to secure their release.
'The terrorists holding the two hostages made very clear threats to take their lives, including in a video that was posted on the internet.
'After months of not knowing where they were being held, we received credible information about their location.
'A window of opportunity arose to secure their release.
'We also had reason to believe that their lives were under imminent and growing danger.'

The hostages were working together for Italian construction company Stabilini Visinoni in Birnin Kebbi, the capital of the state of Kebbi, when they were seized by gunmen who burst into their shared apartment in May last year
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