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SANDAKAN – Abu Sayyaf members have been planning to kidnap wealthy estate owners for ransom while living within an oil palm plantation community in the state.
Sabah police commissioner Datuk Hazani Ghazali revealed this when announcing the arrest of 11 individuals allegedly linked to the militant group.
He said two other suspects were shot dead by security personnel in a predawn shoot-out near Pulau Timbang here today.
The authorities in the Philippines have confirmed that seven out of the 11 individuals are Abu Sayyaf members, while the two suspects shot dead this morning have yet to be identified.
Hazani said the alleged militants are believed to have been planning kidnap-for-ransom activities targeting oil palm plantation owners in the district.
Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Sansibar Bencio, who was nabbed in May, provided police with information, which led to the arrests on Wednesday.
“Bencio revealed that he had ordered the Abu Sayyaf cell in Pulau Timbang to kidnap two Chinese oil palm plantation owners for ransom to fund their activities in eastern Sulu,” said Hazani.
“This led us to raid a workers’ hostel at Borhill Estate in Pulau Timbang on Wednesday. We arrested 25 men who are without proper self-identification or travel documents, including 11 Filipinos and 14 Indonesians.
“Of the Filipinos, seven have been identified by the Philippines authorities as Abu Sayyaf members from different clans in Sulu.”
However, he added, several men managed to escape during the raid, including the two suspects shot dead today.
On the shoot-out this morning, Hazani said the suspects had ignored warnings given by security personnel and fired at the officers, before a gun fight ensued, which lasted about three minutes.
Two men, in their 30s to 40s, were found dead with a .45 Colt and machete.
Hazani said investigations are ongoing to determine how long the suspected members had been in Sabah, and their motive other than kidnapping.
“What we know is that some of them have been working as estate workers. These estate owners have been hiring them, providing them accommodation and wages.
“Hence, we would like to strictly remind oil palm plantation owners to not hire undocumented workers to avoid such an incident from happening.”
There may be more Abu Sayyaf militants hiding in the state, he said, adding that police will arrest them as soon as possible.
“I refuse to let Sabah be a safe haven for terrorists. No! We will ensure that we stop the Abu Sayyaf group and its crime in Sabah.” – The Vibes, August 20, 2021
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