Swiss Red Cross hostage in the Philippines may have been shot, reports say

Andreas Notter

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Apr. 01, 2009) – Abu Sayyaf terrorists may have shot and killed or seriously injured one of three kidnapped Red Cross workers in the southern Philippine province of Sulu, reports said on Wednesday.

The reports surfaced after an Abu Sayyaf commander Albader Parad have repeatedly threatened to behead the hostages – Swiss national Andreas Notter, Italian Eugenio Vagni and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba – if security forces do not withdraw from at least 5 towns in Sulu.

Unconfirmed reports in Sulu said Notter was shot in the head after he tried to escape from his captors who were set to behead him.

The Abu Sayyaf warned it would behead one hostage on Monday at 2 p.m. if the government fails to pull out security forces. But there were no reports whether the threat was carried out.

Police said it has no reports about Notter’s death or whether the Abu Sayyaf executed has executed or not any of the three captives. “We have no reports about it nor confirmation whether all the hostages are alive or not,” said a senior provincial police official, who asked not to be named because he was not authorize to speak to the media.

Previous police reports said the Abu Sayyaf could execute Vagni first because he is the oldest among the captives.

The trio was kidnapped on January 15 after inspecting a water and sanitation project at a prison in Patikul town. Police said a former jail guard, Raden Abu, led the group that kidnapped the aid workers and handed them over to the Abu Sayyaf days later. Abu was dismissed after 10 prisoners escaped from jail on January 13.

Marine Lt. Gen. Nelson Allaga, commander of military forces in-charge of the operation to safely free the aid workers, said they have reports that all the hostages are alive.

“We have reports that the hostages are all alive. Military forces have encircled the jungle of Indanan town where the Abu Sayyaf is holed out. They are trapped, but they are also highly mobile,” Allaga said.

The provincial governor of Sulu, Sakur Tan, on Monday declared a state of emergency after the Abu Sayyaf ultimatum for a military pull out ended. Tan said military and police will arrest suspected Abu Sayyaf members and their supporters in a bid to crack down on terrorism in Sulu, one of six provinces that comprise the Muslim autonomous region. (Mindanao Examiner)