ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines (Mindanao Examiner / Jan. 14, 2008) – Police launched a massive manhunt against 12 prisoners who escaped from jail in Sulu, one of five provinces under the Muslim autonomous region in Mindanao.
Police said guards had also killed one prisoner while trying to escape from his cell on Tuesday. The 12 prisoners are facing various charges ranging from homicide to murder, said Chief Superintendent Bensali Jabarani, the regional police chief.
“There is an ongoing manhunt against those who escaped from prison. We are appealing to the families and relatives of the prisoners to convince them to surrender peacefully,” he told the Mindanao Examiner.
Jabarani said the prisoners escaped by digging a tunnel inside their cell. “They secretly dug this tunnel and covered it with carpets that they used in praying. The escape was uncovered after the guards conducted a headcount on Tuesday morning,” he said.
It was unknown how the prisoners were able to dig the underground passage, but Jabarani said authorities are investigating the jail break. He said among those who bolted jail was an Abu Sayyaf militant, who is facing kidnapping charges in Sulu.
Jabarani said three people, all Muslims, were also abducted near the town of Parang. “We have reports that the abduction was connected to a family feud. We are still investigating this case,” he said.
He did not say when the trio was seized, but claimed the victims were abducted inside a passenger vehicle by gunmen.
Abu Sayyaf militants are still holding a kidnapped a Chinese trader, Xili Wu alias Peter Go, in Sulu since last month. Four militants seized the 28-year old Wu, from Fujian province, as he was closing his electronics store in Jolo town on December 13.
Police said Wu, along with five other Chinese men, arrived in Jolo in December 2007 and since then operated the Perlas Trading.
Authorities tagged the Abu Sayyaf group as behind the spate of kidnappings and bomb attacks across Mindanao. The Abu Sayyaf, which means "The Bearer of the Sword," has been labeled a terrorist organization by both Manila and Washington, and is believed by the US to have links with the al-Qaeda terror network. (Mindanao Examiner)
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