Philippines, Sulu: German cruising couple – elderly male kidnapped and female companion killed – November 2016

Sulu residents found a dead woman in an abandoned yacht on Sunday 6 November 2016, the same day the Abu Sayyaf claimed they had abducted a German man from his yacht and killed his female companion in Tawi-Tawi.

Major Filemon Tan Jr., Western Mindanao Command spokesperson, said on Monday 7 November that the female foreigner in her 50s was found on a sky blue yacht with the markings “ROCK ALL” and flying a German flag.

Tan said the yacht was found on Laparan Island in Pangutaran, Sulu, at about 6 a.m.  “The cadaver was found to have had gunshot wounds and a gun was found beside the body,” he added.

During a phone call with the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Sunday, Muammar Askali, a spokesman for Abu Sayyaf, said that the group had captured the two tourists from a yacht. “Unfortunately, the other one died,” Askali said, referring to the woman. “She tried to shoot us, so we shot her.”

Askali reportedly allowed his captive to talk with Inquirer journalists. The alleged kidnap victim identified himself as Juegen Kantner, 70. He identified his female companion only as “Sabrina.”

“Pirates took our boat and they took us. We the embassy to help us,” he told the Inquirer.

The military has recovered the couple’s yacht.

It appeared the victims were the same as those abducted by Somali pirates off the Gulf of Aden and held hostage for 52 days in 2008. See noonsite report here .

Update January 12th, 2017

German hostage abducted in the Philippines appears in video alive – http://news.abs-cbn.com

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