Police rescue ICRC worker from Abu Sayyaf in Sulu

(UPDATE) ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines - One of two foreign Red Cross workers being held captive by Abu Sayyaf gunmen in the southern Philippine province of Sulu was rescued early Saturday, official said. Swiss Andreas Notter was rescued by police and civilian auxiliaries early Saturday as his captors tried to spirit him out of a police cordon at around 5.30 a.m. in Indanan town, said Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno, confirming earlier reports attributed to unnamed police officials. The Abu Sayyaf is still holding Italian Eugenio Vagni, but he was not with the group that held Notter, said the official, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak about the operation. Puno said in a press conference in Jolo on Saturday noon that the fate of Vagni was still uncertain. He said negotiations would continue, with the ulama, or Muslim scholars, getting actively involved in negotiations for the release of the Italian. At the same time, the military, police, and civilian auxiliaries will continue to put pressure on the kidnap-for-ransom group holding Vagni, who flew along with other officials flew from Manila to Jolo Saturday morning to meet with Notter. He said the captors of Notter tried to escape when they sensed that they were just some 500 meters away from military positions. As reported earlier by GMANews.TV, Puno said police and armed civilians led by Senior Superintendent Julasirim Kasim, police chief of Sulu, spotted Notter with a group of armed men and pursued them until the Swiss hostage was rescued. "The Abu Sayyaf guards were overwhelmed by police forces and armed villagers and they had no choice but to leave Notter behind. He was later brought to the house of Governor Abdusakur Tan, who is the head of the crisis management committee," the Zamboanga-based regional newspaper Mindanao Examiner also quoted one source privy to the rescue operation as saying. In Manila, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro confirmed that Notter had indeed been freed. In an interview with dzBB, Teodoro said Gov. Abdusakur Tan called him at 7 a.m. and said Notter was in his house. Teodoro said, however, that the information he had was still sketchy. He said he was told that government operatives found Notter in Indanan. Sen. Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippine National Red Cross, also told dzBB early Saturday that he still had no information about the latest development. A report by dzBB's Benjie Liwanag said Notter was initially given a medical checkup at the governor's house before being flown by military aircraft to Zamboanga City. The report said security at the governor's house was so tight that even a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was not allowed to enter. Welcome development Malacañang described Notter's release as another welcome development and lauded the Crisis Management Committee on the ICRC kidnapping for its work. Press Secretary Cerge Remonde also voiced hopes that Vagni would be released soonest. Authorities said the Italian hostage is ill and suffering from hernia. Notter, Vagni, and Filipino Mary Jean Lacaba were seized by gunmen on Jan. 15 after the trio finished inspecting a water sanitation project on Jolo Island in Sulu. On April 2, the bandits released Lacaba. Earlier reports said that the Abu Sayyaf faction of Albader Parad was demanding $5 million ransom for its two remaining captives. But Parad denied earlier this month in a phone conversation with Senator Gordon that his group was demanding ransom. Parad said what they wanted was a pullout of government troops from more than a dozen villages in Jolo Island. Armed Forces chief Gen. Alexander Yano and Governor Tan both described the demand as impossible, saying it was like telling government to surrender some territory. Manila said government negotiations were continuing for the safe release of the remaining hostage. According to Governor Tan, Muslim clerics are now helping in efforts to convince the terrorists to release the captive. The Abu Sayyaf repeatedly threatened to kill the remaining hostages if the military and police would not pull out from several areas in Sulu. Military and police intelligence reports said several Jemaah Islamiya terrorists – Mauiya, Dulmatin, Zulkifli bin Hir and Umar Patek – were among those holding the aid workers. The terroristn are all wanted by Indonesia for a spate of deadly attacks, including the Bali bombing in 2002. The US has offered at least $16 million rewards for their capture. - GMANews.TV