Abu Sayyaf threatens to kill German captives

From InterAksyon (Sep 24): Abu Sayyaf threatens to kill German captives



The photo obtained by InterAksyon.com from an intelligence source last month purporting to show German hostages Stefan Victor Okonek, 71, and Herike Diesen, 55, with their Abu Sayyaf captors.

The Abu Sayyaf has threatened to kill two Germans hostages they have been holding since April unless Germany stops supporting US action against Islamic State militants, the SITE monitoring service said.

But Germany said Wednesday it would not change its policy despite the threat.

"We heard about the report and I would like to say one thing: threats are not an appropriate way to influence our policy in Syria and Iraq," a foreign ministry spokeswoman said. "There will be no change to our Syria and Iraq policy."

Philippine security officials said on Wednesday that they were checking intelligence reports of the threats from the small but violent group, which is also demanding a ransom of P250 million ($5.6 million) for the captives' release.

"They are reportedly held here but, as far as such demands are concerned, we are verifying it," said police Director Abraham Orbita.

The Abu Sayyaf rose to prominence in the early 2000s by kidnapping foreigners.

It has links with al Qaeda, although analysts and Philippine security sources say it has lately been focused on kidnap-for-ransom and other criminal activities.

In the message, distributed via Twitter, the militants said they would "kill one of the two hostages" if their demands were not met within 15 days, according to SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks communications from Islamist groups.

"A message attributed to the Philippines-based Abu Sayyaf group threatened that two German hostages will be killed unless it is paid a ransom and Germany stops its support to the United States against Islamic State," SITE reported.

Air strikes

The United States and its Arab allies bombed Islamic State targets inside Syria for the first time on Tuesday. The Sunni Muslim group has seized swathes of territory in civil war-torn Syria and Iraq, slaughtering prisoners and ordering Shi'ites and non-Muslims to convert or die.

Germany has ruled out taking part in air strikes, but did break a post-World War II taboo on sending weapons to active conflict zones by agreeing to arm Kurdish fighters battling Islamic State fighters in northern Iraq.

A Philippine military intelligence source said he was aware of the threats to the German hostages from Abu Sayyaf, but doubted they would be carried out, predicting that the group would most likely negotiate a lower ransom.

"We take all threats seriously," he said. "But, based on our experience in dealing with this group, they are plain criminals who are only interested in getting money. They will eventually settle for a smaller 'board and lodging fee'."

According to media reports, the two Germans, a man and a woman, were seized at gunpoint from a yacht between Malaysian Borneo and the southern Philippines in April.

Photo

SITE released a picture attributed to the Abu Sayyaf group showing a masked militant with a machete beside a grey-haired white man.

A younger white woman with close-cropped hair was also shown, while other masked men stood behind them, armed with assault rifles and machine guns.

The foreign ministry spokeswoman said that the German government had set up a crisis task force on the case "and we will of course continue our efforts to secure a release."

Last month, a source in the intelligence community shared with InterAksyon.com a copy of a photograph going the rounds of the intelligence community that purportedly shows Stefan Victor Okonek, 71, and Herike Diesen, 55, surrounded by a group of men armed with heavy automatic weapons.

The Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for beheadings, bombings and kidnappings for ransom.

The group is also holding a Dutch, a Swiss, a Japanese and some Filipinos in the south.

In 2001, Abu Sayyaf rebels in Basilan beheaded an American who had been taken captive from an island resort in Palawan province.

Two other Americans were held for more than a year, and one was killed during a rescue operation. The other survived with minor wounds.

About 200 US special forces troops have been deployed in the southern Philippines since 2002 to help train and advise local soldiers in fighting Islamist extremists.

http://www.interaksyon.com/article/96078/abu-sayyaf-threatens-to-kill-german-captives