- Robert Hall and John Ridsdel were kidnapped by terrorists Abu Sayyaf
- They were abducted alongside Kjartan Sekkinstad and his girlfriend
- All four victims were paraded on an Isis-style video by their captors
- Hall said he was 'in grave danger' unless his government intervenes
Robert Hall and
John Ridsdel were kidnapped with Norwegian national Kjartan Sekkinstad and
his Filipino girlfriend.
The
four hostages were shown on a two-minute long video filmed in a jungle where
Hall, Ridsdel and Sekkinstad pleaded for their lives.
Robert Hall, left, pleaded with the Canadian government to intervene in the case following last month's kidnapping. He was abducted alongside fellow Canadian John Ridsdel, right and two other hostages
Mr Ridsdel, right, also spoke briefly on the Abu Sayyaf ransom video which was published on Youtube
The terror group's spokesman, pictured, centre, demanded that Filipino authorities halt their military action
More than half-a-dozen heavily armed men carrying M16 assault rifles stood behind the hostages during the video. Some of the terrorists carried black Isis-style banners. All of the men were masked. One of the terrorists spoke good, but accented English.
The hostages were kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf, a group which claims affiliation with
Robert Hall spoke first on camera. He said: 'My name is Robert Hall. To my family and friends I am okay. I am in grave."
‘I encourage you, please to contact the Canadian government and ask them, plead with them, to co-operate with the Philippine government to stop the bombings and the problems going on here.
‘I know there are people who can find a way to do this, please, please help us.’
The
Norwegian national spoke next: 'I am Sekkinstad. The owner of Ocean View
Marina. Please meet the demands or we are possibly dead.’
Next, the second Canadian issued his plea: 'My name is John Ridsdel I confirm we were taken captive from the Ocean View Marina in
'I’d like to add
and give the message from all of us, we beseech, we urge, we beseech the
Canadian government to please, please help us and the Philippine government so
that negotiations can start about their demands.'
Also kidnapped last month were resort owner Kjartan Sekkinstad, right, and his Filipino girlfriend, left
Finally, one of the terrorists issued his threat: 'I deliver a message to the Canadian government and to the Philippine government.
'We want your co-operation with us, and to meet all the
requirements. Number one, there must be no military operation. There must be no
artillery attack that is harmful against us. Once you reach our requirements,
then we can talk about negotiations and demands.’
The Canadian government said: 'The Government of Canada is
aware of the hostage-taking of two Canadian citizens in the Philippines
'Canada
'The Government of Canada will not comment or
release any information which may compromise ongoing efforts and risk
endangering the safety of Canadian citizens abroad.'
The group of extremists lead the captive hostages across a bridge after storming the marina
A man can be seen shooing the prisoners across the bridge, while several more heavily armed men follow in the rear
Footage has emerged of the terrifying moment a group of terrorists abduct four tourists at gunpoint from a luxury holiday resort in the
Grainy CCTV film shows the kidnappers - armed with pistols and machine guns - marching the tourist hostages across a bridge after having stormed a marina in search of foreign prisoners.
With the island
only accessible by boat, the kidnappers' docked under cover of darkness and
began breaking into tourists' yachts in a bid to find valuable Western captives
they can hold for ransom.
It
comes as warships and helicopter gunships have been deployed to lead the
manhunt to find the four hostages - which includes two Canadians and one
Norwegian.
The gunmen captured four tourists in the attack, who are likely to be held captive for ransom
Canadians John Ridsdel (left) and Robert Hall (right) were both kidnapped by the extremists last night
Norwegian resort manager Kjartan Sekkinstad (pictured) was also taken, along with his Filipino girlfriend
Authorities said the kidnappers' first attempted to storm the yacht of tourists Steven and Kazuka Tripp.
However, when the couple fought back and leaped off the boat, the attackers turned their attentions to other foreigners staying on yachts on the island.
The militants went straight for foreigners' boats where many of the 30 guests dived into the water in a desperate bid to avoid being taken.
Canadians John
Ridsdel, 68, and Robert Hall, 50, were taken at gunpoint, alongside 56-year-old
Norwegian resort manager Kjartan Sekkinstad and his Filipino girlfriend.
Mr Ridsdel is the president of mining company TVI Minerals Processing, an organisation based in the
After leaving the
island - located just off the coast of the mainland island of Mindanao
Alberto Caber, a
A special
taskforce named 'Oceanview' has now been established, comprising members of the
country's special anti-kidnapping teams.
Caber also said a naval blockade, backed by two helicopter gunships, was set up around the island to stop the kidnappers from reaching
Abu Sayyaf, which
has about 400 gunmen, was recently declared a terrorist group by a Philippine
court and is on Washington
Three navy ships were sent to search and intercept the gunmen's boat, while ground units were also alerted to locate possible landing sites in southeastern
Military sources
said the gunmen spoke English and Tagalog, the language spoken widely in the Philippines
Although no group has come forward to claim responsibility, at around 4am - five hours after the attack - a resort staff member claimed to have discovered a note left at the front entrance, which stated: 'Justice for our commander: NPA.'
The
NPA stands for the New People's Army - an insurgency group affiliated to the
country's communist political party.
A note was found at the resort a few hours after the kidnapping, which stated: 'Justice for our commander. By NPA.' However, authorities do not yet know if it is valid and warn the group Abu Sayyaf may be responsible
Pictured is the resort's marina, where tourists staying on yachts leaped into the water in a bid to evade the kidnappers
Classed as a terrorist organisation by the
According to the Inquirer, the region's senior superintendent, Samuel Gadingan said: 'Yes, there was this note that said it was in retaliation for the death of the suspects’ commander. But we’re still validating it.
However, the
region's mayor said the group did not traditionally use speedboats.
He said: 'In their [note] they claimed they’re NPA but they have no means of pulling off such kidnapping. They’re not known to use speedboats.'
Military and
police officials were surprised by the latest attack, which came as a reminder
of volatile security in the south despite recent peace initiatives.
The
In 2014, a peace
agreement with the largest Muslim rebel group in the south ended 45 years of
conflict that had killed about 120,000 people and displaced two million.
In 2001, al Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf Islamist
militants tried but failed to kidnap foreign tourists on Samal island's Pearl
Farm resort. Three security men died fighting the attackers.
The four people, including two Canadian tourists, a Norwegian and a Filipino woman were taken at gunpoint during a raid on Monday at the Oceanview resort (pictured) on Samal Island
The beautiful resort claims to be a gated community while also boasting of '24 hour security'
WHO IS TO BLAME? COMMUNIST AND MUSLIM INSURGENTS YET TO CLAIM RESPONSIBILITY
Authorities do not yet know what group is responsible for the attack.
While it bears all the hallmarks of Abu Sayyaf, a Muslim insurgency allied to Islamic State, a note left at the resort claims it was carried out in the name of militant communist group the NPA.
Formed in the late 60s, the NPA stands for the New People's Army - an armed group which is affiliated to the country's communist political party.
Classed as a terrorist organisation by the U.S. government, it is thought to fund its activities by extorting locals in the area it operates.
Earlier this year its leader and chairman, Benito Tiamzon, was arrested by government authorities. And a note left at the resort in the hours after last night's attack stated: 'Justice for our commander: NPA.'
Although the military expected retaliation for the NPA leader's arrest, there remains skepticism as to the validity of the note.
It could still be the case that the crime was carried out by Abu Sayyaf, a militant Muslim group based in the southwest of the Philippines.
Fighting for autonomy within the country, the group is notorious for its kidnappings and hostage-taking.
It, like the NPA, is classed as a terrorist organisation by the U.S. government and late last year began kidnapping people in the name of Islamic State.
While small - with numbers thought to reach only in the hundreds or low thousands - the group is highly active and responsible for the country's worst terrorist attack - the 2004 bombing of a ferry which killed 116 people.
A group of Islamic Abu Sayyaf fighters rest in the Philippine jungle in this undated image
Samal Island is near Davao City, in the southern Philippines. Accessible only by boat, the kidnappers fled with their captives towards the mainland
Samal island, a
short boat ride from the southern commercial centre of Davao Mindanao
ABU SAYYAF HOSTAGE TAKING: ISLAMIST'S MERCILESS PURSUIT OF MONEY
The area, about
800 kilometres (500 miles) southeast of Manila
The Holiday
Oceanview Resort website claims to 'redefine the way you unwind', with
townhouses, a hotel, spa, and marina all on offer for those looking to purchase
a lot or stay in its marina.
Claiming to be
popular with sailors from across the world, the self-described 'gated
community' also boasts of '24 hour security' and its swimming pool, parks and
children's playgrounds.
The Norwegian
embassy in Manila
Olav David
Sekkingstad, Kjartan Sekkinstad's father, told Bergens Tidende newspaper: 'We
are obviously very concerned now.'ABU SAYYAF HOSTAGE TAKING: ISLAMIST'S MERCILESS PURSUIT OF MONEY
Two months later, their family publically called for Abu
Sayyaf to release the couple - saying they both suffered medical conditions and
would have no access to their medication.
Incredibly, the
kidnappers were contacting the family at least once a week to demand huge
ransoms, the Straits Times reported.
The group also
holds Filippinos hostage - in April, the mayor of the town of Naga
Mayor Gemma Adana
was at home when the militants broke inside and dragged her onto a speedboat,
then fled out to sea and the vast network of Abu Sayyaf enclaves that are
dotted across the area.
Taken to Sulu, reports
in the weeks following her kidnapping stated her captors were demanding
$2.26million in ransom.
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