PAGADIAN
CITY – A rogue leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) has been
linked to the kidnapping of a 70-year old British man, Allan Arthur Hyrons, and
his Filipina wife, Welma Paglinawan, in Tukuran town in the southern Philippine
province of Zamboanga del Sur.
Professor
Rommel Banlaoi, chairman of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and
Terrorism Research, has told the Malaysian newspaper Daily Express that the
couple was spotted in Upper Maladig village in Lanao del Norte’s Sultan Gumander
town and being held by at least 8 gunmen led by MILF leader Abdul Alip on the
same day they were abducted, October 4.
Banlaoi
said the couple may have been handed over to the Abu Sayyaf because of Alip’s
links to the terror group. There were reports that the kidnappers demanded P50
million for the safe release of the victims. “The Hyrons are now believed to be
under the Abu Sayyaf in Patikul, Sulu province. However, it is also possible
that the couple is being held in other areas. The couple was previously seen on
board a fast craft that docked in the coastal Barangay of Picong, Sultan Naga
Dimaporo municipality, Lanao del Norte province on October 4.”
“On the same day, the Hyrons were seen in Barangay Upper Maladig, Sultan Gumander,
also in Lanao del Norte while being guarded by eight armed members of the Moro
kidnap for ransom group led by a certain Abdul Alip who is known to be a rogue
MILF leader who has links with ASG leaders in Basilan. This is from ground
sources validated by intelligence sources,” he said.
Police
said the couple was seized by 6 armed men on the night of October 4 shortly
after they arrived at their resort in Alindahaw village. The abductors dragged
away the victims to the sea where a motorized boat was waiting and then escaped
under cover of darkness.
A
caretaker at the resort has confirmed that two of the suspects rented a
cottage. Aside from the resort, the couple also owns the Hyrons College in the
town.
Provincial
Governor Victor Yu pledged to give P1 million reward to anyone who could point
the exact location of the abductors. The British Embassy in Manila expressed
concern over the safety of Hyrons.
The
embassy appealed to the Philippine media to “possibly refrain from posting or
take down any news coverage related to this as it could possibly jeopardize the
welfare of those involved.” The kidnappings occurred during an extended martial
law in the South where security forces are battling Muslim extremist groups and
communist rebels in the restive region. - Zamboanga Post
Full article: Mindanao Examiner.com – 16 November 2019
FOLLOW US 👇
https://al-haqcentre.blogspot.com
https://twitter.com/alhaqcentre
https://instagram.com/alhaqcentre
"United Against Extremism!"
Comments
Post a Comment