This has to stop. Because, really, a country can’t boast of progress when innocent people are often being kidnapped and beheaded by terrorists.
On Mon afternoon, Jun 13, terrorist group Abu Sayyaf’s designated spokesman, Abu Raami, told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a phone call that they had killed another hostage — Canadian national Robert Hall. The group had set 3pm that day as the deadline for the payment of the PHP600 million that they had demanded for Hall’s release.
READ: Abu Sayyaf kills another Canadian hostage
Challenging the new President
Hall, along with fellow Canadian John Ridsdel, Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad, and Filipina Marithes Flor, were kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf Group from the Holiday Oceanview Samal Resort on Samal Island last Sep 21, 2015. The terrorists had initially demanded PHP1 billion for each of them as ransom but ended up lowering the amounts. Ridsdel was executed by the terrorists last Apr.
READ: Trudeau condemns Abu Sayyaf’s murder of Canadian national
It was around 3:10pm on Mon, Jun 13, when Raami revealed in the phone interview with the Inquirer that “even with the observance of the holy month of Ramadan, the Abu Sayyaf leadership had decided to behead Hall to serve as a challenge to Duterte.”
Raami was most likely referring to the fact that Duterte had apologized to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for the death of Ridsdel. In a press conference, Duterte recalled, “I said, ‘Mr. Prime Minister, please accept my apology for the incident. I am very sorry for the incident that happened which resulted in the killing of your national and we will try our very best to see to it that nothing of this nature will happen again.”
Severed head found
“Hours after the terrorists confirmed the beheading of Hall, Jolo Police found a decapitated head of a Caucasian man inside a plastic bag around 9pm on Mon, Jun 13, along Sanchez Street beside the Carmelite Cathedral in Jolo,” reports Julliane Love de Jesus on Inquirer.net.
The report noted: “Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory Director Chief Supt. Emmanuel Aranas said that the decapitated head believed to be Hall’s was flown to Manila early Tue morning, Jun 14, and was brought to a mortuary in Pasay City.”
The severed head will be subjected to DNA testing. The PNP has gotten in touch with the Canadian embassy as well.
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