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Abu Sayyaf may behead hostages today
[Telegraph] Two Canadians, a Norwegian and a Filipina held hostage for seven months in the southern Philippines could be beheaded on Monday by the Abu Sayyaf. The rebel group, which pledged allegiance first to al-Qaeda and now Daesh, has set a deadline of 3 p.m. for ransoms of £4.5 million to be paid for the three Westerners.In videos, the three haggard-looking men plead with their families and governments to pay the money. One captor presses a machete to their necks, while other armed men stand behind them carrying assault weapons and the distinctive black flag of Daesh. One of the hostages, John Risdel, a Philippine-based Canadian businessman, said this was the "final absolute warning" from their captors. Abu Sayyaf splinter groups have also seized 18 Indonesian and Malaysian sailors in raids on coal tugboats in the past month, as they intensify their attacks in some of the busiest waterways on earth. The surge in piracy prompted Indonesia's security chief to warn that the trading route could "become a new Somalia". Posted by: ryuge 2016-04-25 |
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