Saturday 14th May, 2011
Philippine police have tagged Abu Sayyaf militants in the abduction of a Malaysian trader in the restive southern Philippines.
Chief Superintendent Bienvenido Latag, head of police in the region, said Saturday that Nasaruddin Bensaidin, 38, is being held by Abu Sayyaf militants in the township of Indanan in Sulu province.
There is "an ongoing operation now" to rescue Bensaidin, who was snatched by at least 10 gunmen in Indanan town on May 7, said Latag.
Bensaidin, who is engaged in lizard trading business, is a resident of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and had been in Sulu for over a week before the abduction, officials have said.
Sulu is a known bailiwick of the Abu Sayyaf group, which has perpetrated a number of high-profile attacks, including kidnapping, bombing and beheading. The Philippine military estimates the Abu Sayyaf, which has links with external terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaida, currently has about 400 members.