The message, identifying the pigeon by the code name 40TW194, had been folded into a small scarlet capsule attached to its leg.
Ofcom regulations state abandoned calls must make up no more than 3% of all live calls in a 24-hour period, and all abandoned calls must carry a short recorded message identifying who it is from.
People linked to the earliest exchanges of the message, identified by investigators and rooted out by reporters, said they did not know its source and only passed it on.
The company, in an e-mail message, identified the two executives as Per Kaufmann, a director for Ikea in Eastern Europe, and Stefan Gross, a director for Ikea's shopping mall business in Russia.
The message, identified as coming from the group, Ansaru, could not be immediately verified, though it included photographs that it claimed showed the dead, who were kidnapped from a construction company compound in February.
As well as breaching rules which require that such calls should not make up more than 3% of live calls made in a 24-hour period, Barclaycard broke Ofcom's rule that all abandoned calls must carry a short recorded information message identifying the source of the call.
Wave a Speedpass device in front of a gas pump and a small chip made by Texas Instruments transmits a message identifying you to a computer at the gas station, which in turn sends another message via satellite that charges your credit card for the gas you buy.
Local groups need to be able to find each other, share strategies, develop leadership, communicate their message, identify allies, and gain a wide range of skills.
