Abduction of Australian family in Agusan foiled

From Tempo (Nov 10): Abduction of Australian family in Agusan foiled

Government security forces have foiled a plan by the Abu Sayyaf Group to abduct members of an Australian family from their residence in San Luis, Agusan del Sur.

A military officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that government troops were able to extricate the would-be kidnap victims before the bandit group could get them.

He said joint military and police forces also swooped down on a safehouse of the kidnapers, led ASG sub-leader Muammar Askali, last Sunday and invited seven men for questioning.

The officer said government security forces quickly moved to extricate the Australian couple and their son “a few days ago” after they received reliable information that ASG members from Sulu were planning to snatch the family.

“We decided to extricate the targets safely into a safe location, they were taken out of the place in a nick of time. They are now in a safe place,” the officer said.

He did not identify the would-be victims of the ASG, but said, “we believe the whole family was going to be kidnapped.”

The Australian husband is working in the area, the source said, without elaborating on his specific job.

Based on their monitoring, the group that planned to stage the kidnapping moved from Sulu to Surigao City via Siargao island. “Nung pumasok sila ang next na monitoring result pumasok dito sa Agusan del Sur kaya nag-coordinate sa akin yung mga intelligence at pulis,” said the officer.

He added that their information was further bolstered by reports that armed were sighted in the hinterlands just a few kilometers away from the location of the Australian family.

He went on to say that during the extrication process, they received information that the bandits were monitored near the vicinity. The suspects later dispersed, apparently after they sensed their targets were no longer around.

http://www.tempo.com.ph/2015/11/10/abduction-of-australian-family-in-agusan-foiled/