PHILIPPINE militants from US-listed terrorist group Abu Sayyaf are demanding more than $60 million for the release of three foreigners who were kidnapped in the southern region of the country in September, according to a new video of the hostages.
The video, released Tuesday, Nov. 3, by US-based jihadist monitor SITE, is the first time the militants associated themselves with a group. In a video released last month, militants demanded that military offensives come to an end, but did not identify themselves.
The recent video shows militants demanding P1 billion ($21 million) for each of the three foreign hostages, who are shown sitting with more than a dozen heavily armed militants standing behind them. In the video, the captives ask the public to take Abu Sayyaf seriously.
“These people are serious and very treacherous. Take them seriously. Help us get out of here,” said Canadian captive Robert Hall.
The two other foreign hostages are John Ridsdel (Canadian) and Kjartan Sekkingstad (Norwegian). A Filipina, Marites Flor, is also being held captive.
“Please, please take this group and their demands seriously, because they are dangerous…” Sekkingstad said.
Ridsdel called on the Canadian prime minister and people of Canada to provide the ransom demand “as soon as possible or our lives are in great danger.”
Flor did not speak in the video.
A militant concluded the video saying the hostages would be killed if the ransoms were not paid, though no deadline was provided.
The Philippine government has repeatedly stated it holds a no-ransom policy, and military commander Brig. Gen. Alan Arrojado said his troops would not stop working to ensure the hostages are freed in the safest means possible.
However, parties linked to captives typically pay, Rappler reported. In October 2014, for instance, the group said it received P250 million ($5.3 million) in exchange for the release of two German hostages they held for six months. Security analysts backed the claim, saying a large ransom was paid, according to Rappler.
Philippine authorities have said they are unaware of the location of the hostages. However, security analysts say they are likely on Jolo island, the Abu Sayyaf’s stronghold about 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) south of Manila, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The group is known to be holding another three foreigners in the Sulu islands region in Mindanao, according to the military: two Malaysian nationals and one Dutch man.
On Saturday, Oct. 31, an elderly South Korean man who was kidnapped 10 months ago and held by Abu Sayyaf was found dead in Sulu, the Associated Press (AP) reported. He appeared to have died due to an unspecified illness while held captive in the jungle. His death has sparked concerns regarding the health of the current hostages.
Philippine troops launched assaults after the death of the South Korean national, resulting in the killing of at least two Abu Sayyaf militants in Sulu, the military said, according to the AP.
Following the kidnapping of the two Canadians and Norwegian man on Sept. 21, Philippine authorities pledged to bolster security in the south. But three weeks after the incident, a former Italian Catholic missionary was abducted from his pizza restaurant in the Zamboanga Sibugay province.