THE police have arrested four suspected Abu Sayyaf bandits, including a militiaman, involved in the Vietnamese bulk carrier’s hijack last year off Basilan province, an official said Tuesday, July 18.
Senior Superintendent Nickson Muksan, Basilan police director, said the suspects were arrested Monday afternoon in the villae of Ulame, Lamitan City in Basilan.
Muksan said the suspects were identified as Taha Upao, Bryan Upao, Ibrahim Akhmad, and Ibno Akhmad, a member of the government militia force.
He said investigation showed the suspects were allegedly involved in the hijacking of M/V Royal 16, a Vietnamese bulk carrier, on November 11, 2016 near Sibago Island, Mohammad Ajul, Basilan.
The Abu Sayyaf bandits, aboard a speed boat, seized six people when they hijacked M/V Royal 16 while the vessel was passing near Sibago Island, Mohammad Ajul town.
Three of the six remained in captivity since the Abu Sayyaf bandits killed by beheading two of the Vietnamese on July 5 while another managed to escape on June 16.
Security forces continue to scour the hinterlands of Basilan in search for the three remaining Vietnamese hostages in the province. (SunStar Philippines)