Kidnapped Philippine researcher released by Abu Sayyaf gunmen

Source:Xinhua Published: 2013-7-31 9:37:25

Abu Sayyaf rebels freed unharmed its male captive in Sulu province of southern Philippines on Wednesday dawn, following alleged payment of ransom, police said.

The 56-year-old Alrashid Maha Rojas, a clerk of the Islamic Study Center in Western Mindanao State University (WMSU), was released by the Abu Sayyaf members led by Hatib Susukan at 3 a.m. Wednesday in the downtown of Jolo.

The victim was abducted on June 22 in his residence in Campo Islam village in Zamboanga and later was brought to Sulu.

Police authorities who were alerted of the presence of the Rojas immediately recovered the victim and brought him to the police camp for debriefing and provided with medical check-up.

The 380-strong Abu Sayyaf group (ASG), founded in the early 1990s, is a violent Muslim terrorist group operating in southern Philippines. The ASG engages in kidnappings for ransom, bombings, beheadings, assassinations, and extortion.

Posted in: Asia-Pacific

blog comments powered by Disqus