Rebel Arrests Snag Hostage Release
By JIM GOMEZ, Associated Press Writer
ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AP) -
Muslim rebels threatened to call off a deal to free six hostages after police arrested two
men carrying bundles of money believed to be part of a ransom payment, officials said
Friday.
The two suspected Abu Sayyaf
rebels were arrested Thursday while trying to convert $240,000 into Philippine pesos at a
bank in the city of Zamboanga, police said.
Abu Sayyaf commander Ghalib
``Robot'' Andang earlier agreed to release six foreign hostages - three French women, a
South African woman, a German man and a Finnish man - on Saturday. But he told a
go-between late Thursday that he would not free them unless the two detained rebels were
released, an official close to the negotiations said.
A lawyer was attempting to
obtain bail for the two suspects.
Police Supt. Angelito Casimiro
said the two men were detained on suspicion they were Abu Sayyaf rebels after they tried
to exchange bundles of $100 bills at a government bank.
The military says the rebels
were paid more than $5.5 million for the earlier releases of nine Malaysians and a German.
Zamboanga, a southern port
city, is about three hours by ferry from Jolo, the impoverished island where the rebels
are holding their hostages.
The Abu Sayyaf kidnapped 21
people from Malaysia's Sipadan diving resort on April 23. Most have been released for
ransom, but three French, two Germans, two Finns and two South Africans remain.
The rebels are also holding
three French television journalists who visited their hideout and 12 Filipino Christian
evangelists who came to pray for the hostages.
All are imprisoned in primitive
mountain camps on Jolo, 580 miles south of Manila.
The rebels say they are
fighting for an independent Islamic state in the predominantly Roman Catholic Philippines,
but the government says they are a group of bandits who thrive on kidnapping and piracy.
Asked whether the hostages
would be released Saturday, President Joseph Estrada replied, ``I don't know yet.''
The expected release last week
of the 12 remaining foreign hostages fell through when Libya, which is playing a prominent
role in the negotiations, offered only $700,000 per captive instead of the $1 million
demanded by the guerrillas.
Andang agreed to release some
hostages Saturday after Libya agreed to pay the full amount, negotiators said. The group
fears a military attack after all are released, a spokesman said.
``It will be done batch by
batch because we're 100 percent sure they will launch an offensive,'' Abu Sayyaf spokesman
Abu Escobar said.
Libya denies it is paying money
directly to the rebels, saying the money will go to economic development projects in the
region.
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