Abu Sayyaf threatens to behead three hostages

KOTA KINABALU: Abu Sayyaf terrorists have threatened to behead a Malaysian and two Indonesian fishermen if no ransom is paid for their release.

A video which has been circulating shows one of the Indonesian men with a machete to his neck appealing to Indonesia’s president, as well as an Indonesian negotiator, to help secure their release.

The video was uploaded on Facebook by user Kim Hundin at about 5am on Feb 14 and appears to have been edited from a longer video.

The two hostages seen in the video with their eyes covered are believed to be Indonesians Heri Ardiansyah, 19, and Hariadin, 45.

The two were kidnapped together with Malaysian hostage Jari Abdulla, 24, from their Sandakan-based fishing trawler in eastern Sabah waters close to the Philippines’ Tawi Tawi Island chain on Dec 5.

The video surfaced several days after Abu Sayyaf gunmen called Jari’s wife, Nadin Junianti Abdullah, saying that no Malaysian authorities or negotiators have contacted them to secure her husband’s release.

The gunmen, who spoke in broken Bahasa Malaysia, said that her husband would face “difficulties” if there was no contact from Malaysia.

They also asked her for telephone contacts of Malaysian journalists during the call at around 7pm on Feb 11.

In an interview in Sandakan on Feb 14, Nadin urged Malaysian authorities to help secure her husband’s release.

She said it was second time the kidnap group had contacted her.

There was no indication of a ransom demand.

Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Omar Mammah have said that they were working with their Philippines counterparts to secure the hostages’ release.