Sayyaf member in 1995 hostage-taking pleads guilty in US
07/29/2010 | 06:51 PM
A founding member of the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf group who was allegedly involved in the kidnapping of more than a dozen American and Filipino tourists 15 years ago in southern Philippines had pleaded guilty to the crime before a federal court in Washington DC.
Madhatta Haipe, 48, on July 28 pleaded guilty to four counts of hostage-taking in connection with the 1995 abduction of 16 people, including four American citizens and six children, from a tourist resort in Lake Sebu. He was extradited to the US on August 27 last year.
US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry K. Thomas, Jr. welcomed the development, saying he is “pleased that justice is served."
“I congratulate the Philippine and US law enforcement agencies whose close and relentless collaboration brought about Haipe’s extradition and admission of guilt," Thomas said.
“Our cooperation with the Philippines is essential in our common mission of defeating terrorist organizations that harm citizens of both our countries," he added.
Haipe, who was the Abu Sayyaf’s secretary general during the time of the abduction,
will be sentenced before Judge Richard Roberts on Dec. 14, 2010. He faces up to life in prison on each of the four counts to which he pleaded guilty.
As part of the plea agreement, the US government may advocate for a sentence of up to 25 years in prison.
Haipe’s group kidnapped 16 individuals — four US citizens, one US permanent resident alien, and 11 Filipinos — on Dec. 27, 1995 in the rugged area around Trankini Falls, near Lake Sebu. The hostages were forced to march up a mountainside, most of them with ropes tied around their hands or neck.
The victims were later released separately after ransom was paid, according to Haipe’s testimony.
David Kris, the US assistant attorney general for national security, lauded Haipe’s guilty plea.
“For roughly 15 years, [Federal Bureau of Investigation] agents, Justice Department prosecutors and authorities in the Philippines relentlessly pursued this matter on behalf of the victims, who were held hostage and threatened with death by this Abu Sayyaf leader. With today’s guilty plea, Mr. Haipe is finally being held accountable for his actions," he said.
Ronald C. Machen Jr., US attorney for the District of Columbia, said the guilty plea sends a clear message that the US government “will never tire in our pursuit of justice for those who seek to harm American citizens, whether at home or abroad."
“Today’s guilty plea demonstrates that there will be serious consequences for those who commit such crimes," he said. - KBK, GMANews.TV
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Madhatta Haipe, 48, on July 28 pleaded guilty to four counts of hostage-taking in connection with the 1995 abduction of 16 people, including four American citizens and six children, from a tourist resort in Lake Sebu. He was extradited to the US on August 27 last year.
US Ambassador to the Philippines Harry K. Thomas, Jr. welcomed the development, saying he is “pleased that justice is served."
“I congratulate the Philippine and US law enforcement agencies whose close and relentless collaboration brought about Haipe’s extradition and admission of guilt," Thomas said.
“Our cooperation with the Philippines is essential in our common mission of defeating terrorist organizations that harm citizens of both our countries," he added.
Haipe, who was the Abu Sayyaf’s secretary general during the time of the abduction,
will be sentenced before Judge Richard Roberts on Dec. 14, 2010. He faces up to life in prison on each of the four counts to which he pleaded guilty.
As part of the plea agreement, the US government may advocate for a sentence of up to 25 years in prison.
Haipe’s group kidnapped 16 individuals — four US citizens, one US permanent resident alien, and 11 Filipinos — on Dec. 27, 1995 in the rugged area around Trankini Falls, near Lake Sebu. The hostages were forced to march up a mountainside, most of them with ropes tied around their hands or neck.
The victims were later released separately after ransom was paid, according to Haipe’s testimony.
David Kris, the US assistant attorney general for national security, lauded Haipe’s guilty plea.
“For roughly 15 years, [Federal Bureau of Investigation] agents, Justice Department prosecutors and authorities in the Philippines relentlessly pursued this matter on behalf of the victims, who were held hostage and threatened with death by this Abu Sayyaf leader. With today’s guilty plea, Mr. Haipe is finally being held accountable for his actions," he said.
Ronald C. Machen Jr., US attorney for the District of Columbia, said the guilty plea sends a clear message that the US government “will never tire in our pursuit of justice for those who seek to harm American citizens, whether at home or abroad."
“Today’s guilty plea demonstrates that there will be serious consequences for those who commit such crimes," he said. - KBK, GMANews.TV
