Video: Abu Sayyaf hostages plead for help
Philippine Islamist militants who executed a Canadian hostage issued a new threat to kill their remaining captives if ransoms are not paid, a video showed.
|||Manila - Philippine Islamist militants who executed a Canadian hostage last week have issued a new threat to kill their remaining captives if ransoms are not paid, a video showed on Wednesday.
The video, uploaded by the SITE Intelligence Group, showed Canadian John Hall, Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad and Filipino Marites Flor pleading for help to free them.
Read: Abu Sayyaf rebels free Indonesian hostages
They were abducted with Canadian John Ridsdel on September 21 from the southern resort island of Samal allegedly by members of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group.
Ridsdel was executed on April 25 on Jolo Island, 1 000 kilometres south of Manila, after a deadline to pay a ransom of 300 million pesos (6.52 million dollars) for each of the hostages lapsed.
“The lesson is clear, John Ridsdel has been beheaded,” a hooded man said on the video.
“Now, there are three remaining captives here. If you procrastinate once again the negotations, we will behead all these (three) anytime.”
Sekkingstad called on the Canadian and Philippine governments, family and friends to help them.
“I'm appealing to ... anybody who can help us, if the demand is not met, we will be executed like our friend John was a few days ago,” Sekkingstad said.
Hall also called on the Philippine government to stop a military offensive launched after the Ridsdel's murder.
“To the Philippine government, please stop shooting at us and trying to kills us. These guys are going to do a good job of that,” he said.
“To the Canadian government, I'm told to tell you to meet the demand and I don't know what you're doing, but you're not doing anything for us,” he added.
On Sunday, Abu Sayyaf militants freed 10 crew members of an Indonesian tugboat seized in March reportedly after a ransom was paid.
The Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for some of the deadliest terrorist attacks in the Philippines.
It has also been responsible for high-profile kidnappings involving foreign hostages.
AFP