Got a tip? Send it to us at manila@coconuts.co.
The Abu Sayyaf is demanding PHP1 billion (USD$21 million) each for the release of two Canadians and a Norwegian kidnapped from Samal Island six weeks ago, according to a new video of the captives.
Chilling video
In the video released by the US-based jihadist monitor SITE on Tue, Nov 3, masked gunmen identified themselves as members of the Abu Sayyaf.
Canadians John Ridsdel and Robert Hall, Norwegian resort manager Kjartan Sekkingstad, and Hall’s Filipina girlfriend Marites Flor, were seized from yachts at a marina on Sep 21.
Authorities have said they do not know where the hostages are being held but security analysts and intelligence sources say they are likely in Sulu.
In the SITE video, the second to show the hostages, the three foreigners and Flor, in a jungle setting surrounded by heavily armed men, all said they were being ransomed off for PHP1 billion each.
“I appeal to the Canadian prime minister and the people of Canada, please pay this ransom as soon as possible or our lives are in great danger,” Ridsdel said in the video.
“I’m being held hostage by Abu Sayyaf for PHP1 billion. These people are serious and very treacherous. Take them seriously. Help us, get us out of here,” Hall said.
Flor did not speak.
Abu Sayyaf origins
Founded in the early 1990s with seed money from Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, the Abu Sayyaf gained international notoriety for kidnapping dozens of foreign tourists for ransom in the early 2000s.
The group has also been blamed for the country’s worst terrorist attacks, including the bombing of a ferry off Manila Bay in 2004 that killed more than 100 people.
Current hostages
The Abu Sayyaf is known to be holding three other foreigners — two Malaysians and a Dutch man, according to the military.
An Italian ex-priest, Rolando del Torchio, was also abducted from his pizza restaurant in Dipolog City last month.
READ: Italian restaurant owner kidnapped by gunmen in Dipolog City
The Abu Sayyaf is widely believed to be holding him, but authorities have not confirmed this.
A 74-year-old South Korean kidnapped in Jan was found dead on Jolo at the weekend. The military said the Abu Sayyaf abandoned the hostage after he died from a “severe illness.”
READ: Korean national kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf Group found dead in Sulu
Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Colonel Restituto Padilla declined to comment about the new video while the Philippine National Police’s Chief Superintendent Wilben Mayor told a press briefing in Camp Crame that the video is still being authenticated by the Anti-Cybercrime Group.
The government has repeatedly said it has a “no-ransom policy” although parties linked to captives frequently pay.
In Oct 2014, the Abu Sayyaf claimed it received PHP250 million (USD$5.3 million) in exchange for two German hostages they held captive for six months.
Text: (AFP)
Reader Interactions