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| Southeast Asia |
| Suspect in ex-priest's kidnapping arrested |
| 2015-10-12 |
| [InterAksyon] A suspect in the kidnapping of Italian ex-priest Rolando del Torchio was arrested in Pagadian City Friday night while a suspected Abu Sayyaf militant allegedly involved in the 2002 kidnapping of Jehovah's Witnesses was captured in Zamboanga City Saturday morning. Meanwhile, Cleve Taboso, spokesman for the unit assigned to recover Del Torchio, said they had identified the kidnapper's chief, known as "Commander Red Eye," and four of his relatives based on security cam footage of the abduction. He said Red Eye had been arrested for another abduction in 2014 but managed to post bail. Taboso said they did not believe the group had taken him to the extremist stronghold of Sulu, where any rescue would be more difficult. Small kidnapping gangs have often taken their hostages to the island of Jolo to hand them over to the Abu Sayyaf who ransom them off for large sums of money. In Zamboanga City, an alleged Abu Sayyf militant, identified only as "Raji", was seized by security forces in a house in Cawa-Cawa district. He was the subject of an arrest warrant charged with six counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention. The Jehovah's Witnesses were kidnapped in Patikul town, Sulu. Two of them were later beheaded after their families could not come up with the ransom, the others were rescued after weeks of military operations. 18 suspects were earlier arrested but were released in February 2013 for lack of evidence. |
| Posted by:ryuge |