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Philippines identifies 3 suspects in kidnapping
By JIM GOMEZ,Associated Press Writer AP - 2 hours 57 minutes ago
MANILA, Philippines - Police have identified at least three people believed to have kidnapped three Red Cross workers in the southern Philippines and turned them over to al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf gunmen, an official said Sunday.
At least 1,000 marines and police have been involved in the search for the captive Red Cross Workers _ Andreas Notter, 38, of Switzerland; Eugenio Vagni, 62, of Italy; and Mary Jean Lacaba, 37, of the Philippines _ in the worst hostage crisis to hit Jolo in years.
The military said Sunday that it will clamp down on information about its rescue effort to avoid "unnecessarily risking the safety of the victims."
The kidnappers stopped a car at gunpoint Thursday near the provincial capital of Jolo Island and abducted the International Committee of the Red Cross workers from Switzerland, Italy and the Philippines, Jolo provincial police chief Julasirim Kasim said.
A police officer identified three of five suspects being sought by authorities, Kasim said, adding that one of them is a former prison guard disgruntled after losing his job. He declined to name any of the suspects.
The kidnappers have handed the three captives to Abu Sayyaf gunmen in the dense jungles near Jolo's Indanan township, Kasim said.
"It's the Abu Sayyaf; they are highly mobile," Kasim told The Associated Press by telephone, adding that a massive search was focused in the hilly jungles on the western coast of Jolo, 590 miles (950 kilometers) south of Manila.
The three kidnapped workers telephoned their colleagues Friday and said they were not being harmed, Red Cross spokeswoman Anna Nelson said Saturday, declining to give other details.
Notter, Vagni and Lacaba had traveled to Jolo, a predominantly Muslim island, to inspect a water sanitation project in the provincial jail. They were offered security escorts but they declined, citing their agency's neutrality, Jolo Governor Sakur Tan said.
Thursday's abduction was the most high-profile kidnapping of foreigners since 2000, when Abu Sayyaf gunmen snatched 21 people, mostly European tourists, from a Malaysian resort then brought them to Jolo. All were freed in exchange for millions of dollars in ransom reportedly financed by Libya.
Abu Sayyaf, which is notorious for kidnappings for ransom, bombings and beheadings, is on a U.S. list of terrorist organizations.
Kasim said there has been no ransom demand for the Red Cross workers.
The high-profile kidnapping has angered Jolo officials, who have struggled for years to change the island's image as a lawless stronghold of Muslim militants and bandits where guns outnumber people.
"Whether these people are Abu Sayyaf or not, they are criminals," Tan said. "They should be wiped out."
Following the kidnappings, Kasim said he will insist that visitors, especially foreigners, be escorted when venturing out of Jolo's main town.
Although considerably weakened by years of U.S.-backed military offensives, Abu Sayyaf gunmen still lurk in Jolo's far-flung hinterlands. More than 300 armed members remain on Jolo and nearby islands, the military said.
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