By Francisco Alcuaz Jr.
June 10 (Bloomberg) -- A top Philippine news anchorwoman, two cameramen and a university professor were kidnapped by suspected members of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group on southern Sulu island, police said.
Ces Drilon of ABS-CBN News and the three others were seized in Maimbung town two days ago, Chief Superintendent Joel Goltiao of the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, told reporters yesterday. The military and the broadcaster requested the media delay reporting the kidnapping until today as they tried to ensure the safety of the abductees.
Drilon, who anchors a late-night news program, and two other employees ``are missing in Sulu'' and ``efforts are underway to find them and bring them home,'' ABS-CBN, which is the nation's largest broadcaster, said today. Maimbung is about 980 kilometers (610 miles) south of Manila.
The Philippine and U.S. governments say Abu Sayyaf is responsible for dozens of bombings and kidnappings in the southern Philippines and link the group to al-Qaeda and the Indonesian terrorist organization Jemaah Islamiyah.
The U.S., which has troops in the Philippines helping with counter-terrorism, accuses Abu Sayyaf of beheadings, extortion and bombings, including a February 2004 attack on a ferry in Manila that killed 132 people.
Police are checking the background of Sulu State University professor Octavio Dinampo, who had ``invited'' Drilon and the crew, Goltiao said yesterday, adding no ransom demand was made. The police chief couldn't be reached for comment today.
Abu Sayyaf was formed in 1991 when its founder, Abdurajak Janjalani, broke away from a separatist group known as the Moro National Liberation Front because he opposed it entering peace talks with the Philippine government.
He was killed in a clash with Philippine police in 1998 and his brother, Khadaffy Janjalani, was killed in a battle on Jolo with Philippine Marines in September 2006. Its new leader is Ustadz Yasir Isagan, a religious scholar, according to the Brussels-based International Crisis Group.
Last Updated: June 9, 2008 21:45 EDT |
