Prosecutors: French Hostage Killed in Mali Was Shot in the Head

Killing was thought to have been possibly staged by Al Qaeda since the hostage had several ailments

French hostage Philippe Verdon, who was kidnapped by Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in Mali in 2011 and found dead several weeks ago, was executed with a shot to the head, prosecutors said Thursday.

"After the return of the body to France, the autopsy… was able to establish that Philippe Verdon was murdered by being shot in the head," the Paris prosecutors' office said.