Abu Sayyaf

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Birdwatcher Held 7 Years Is Killed During Rescue Raid

Dutch photographer Ewold Horn was kidnapped by militants in Philippines in 2012

(Newser) - He'd survived seven years of captivity by militants in the jungle in the Philippines, but Ewold Horn did not live through a daring rescue attempt by soldiers. The 59-year-old Dutch birdwatcher/photographer was killed when Filipino soldiers engaged in a 90-minute firefight with Abu Sayyaf militants on the island of...

Duterte Vows to 'Crush Godless Criminals' Who Bombed Church

20 dead as twin bombs go off during Mass at cathedral

(Newser) - Two bombs tore through a Roman Catholic cathedral on a southern Philippine island where Muslim militants are active, killing at least 20 people and wounding 111 others during Sunday Mass. Witnesses said the first blast inside the Jolo cathedral sent churchgoers, some wounded, to stampede out the main door. Army...

Philippines: Militant Who Ordered Beheadings Killed

Abu Sayyaf commander was planning more kidnappings

(Newser) - Philippine troops battling militants in a central province killed a key Abu Sayyaf commander who'd been blamed for the beheadings of two Canadians and a German hostage and was apparently attempting another kidnapping mission, the country's military chief says. Gen. Eduardo Ano, the military's chief of staff,...

Militants Behead Sailor Who Was Kidnapped Twice

Kantner survived pirate abduction in 2008

(Newser) - A German man who resumed sailing around the world after being released by Somali pirates in 2008 has been murdered by militants in the Philippines who kidnapped him a second time . The extremist group Abu Sayyaf has released video of the beheading of 70-year-old Juergen Kantner, who was kidnapped while...

Couple Abducted by Pirates—Again
Couple Abducted
by Pirates—Again
Nov 8, 2016 10:51 AM CST

Couple Abducted by Pirates—Again

Sabine Merz reportedly killed, Jürgen Kantner seized in Philippines

(Newser) - A German couple who's spent four decades sailing the world has apparently been abducted by pirates for a second time, with what appears to be a fatal result. Jürgen Kantner and Sabine Merz—who were held by Somali pirates for 52 days in 2008, until a six-figure ransom...

Militants Behead 2nd Canadian Hostage
Militants Behead
2nd Canadian Hostage
Jun 14, 2016 12:32 AM CDT

Militants Behead 2nd Canadian Hostage

Captors in the Philippines demanded huge ransom

(Newser) - Philippine officials confirmed Tuesday that Abu Sayyaf militants beheaded a Canadian man, the second Canadian hostage to be killed in two months after demands for a large ransom were not met. The hostage, Robert Hall, was abducted from a marina last September along with another Canadian, a Norwegian, and a...

Militants Behead Canadian Hostage
Militants Behead
Canadian Hostage
Apr 26, 2016 12:52 AM CDT

Militants Behead Canadian Hostage

He was kidnapped in the Philippines 7 months ago

(Newser) - The head of a Canadian man kidnapped by militants in the Philippines was dumped on a street Monday after a deadline to deliver an $8 million ransom expired. John Ridsdel, a 68-year-old mining consultant from Saskatchewan, was seized by Abu Sayyaf militants in a raid on an isolated resort last...

ISIS Widow Charged in Kayla Mueller's Death

Sayyaf was captured in raid that killed her husband

(Newser) - The widow of an ISIS commander killed in an American raid last year could be spending the rest of her life in a US prison for her brutal mistreatment of American hostage Kayla Mueller and other captives, federal prosecutors say. Umm Sayyaf, a 25-year-old Iraqi woman captured in the raid...

Kidnapped US Teen Outwits Terrorist Captors

Al-Qaeda-linked thugs held Kevin Lunsmann five months

(Newser) - A 14-year-old American hostage managed to outwit his terrorist captors and flee to freedom in a Philippines jungle. Kevin Lunsmann, who had been held captive for five months by a group likely linked to al-Qaeda, wandered for two days before he was discovered by villagers, reports ABC News . "I...

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