Islamist militants in the southern Philippines have demanded more than $85 million  in ransom for three foreigners and a Filipina abducted from an island resort in September, according to a US-based group that tracks terrorist activities, dpa reports.

armed militants surrounding two Canadians, a Norwegian and a Filipino woman abducted last month in the Philippines
An earlier video showing three of the hostages surrounded by armed militants

The Philippine military said Wednesday it was still verifying the demand, which was made in a video released by suspected Abu Sayyaf militants and circulated online by SITE Intelligence Group.

In the 87-second video that SITE obtained, Canadians John Ridsdel and Robert Hall, Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad and Filipina Marites Flor were seen flanked by armed men dressed in black.

One of the masked men and the foreigners said a ransom of 1 billion pesos (21.3 million dollars), the largest ever demanded by Abu Sayyaf kidnappers, must be paid for each of the four hostages for their release.

“We’re being ransomed each for 1 billion pesos,” Ridsdel said, as one of the men held a machete above his neck.

“I appeal to the Canadian prime minister and the people of Canada, please pay this ransom as soon as possible, or our lives are in great danger,” he added.

Hall also made a plea in the video, which the Philippine military has yet to authenticate.

“These people are serious and very treacherous,” he said. “Take them seriously. Help us, get us out of here.”

The hostages were seized on September 21 from a resort on the southern island of Samal Island. They were believed to have been taken to Jolo Island, 1,000 kilometers south of Manila, where they are being held captive in the jungle.

Samal Island is a prime tourism destination known for its powdery sand beaches and pristine diving spots. About 680,000 tourists visited the island last year, including nearly 30,000 foreigners.

The al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for some of the deadliest terrorist attacks in the Philippines. It has also been responsible for high-profile kidnappings for ransom involving foreign hostages.

Aside from the Canadians and Norwegian, the militants are also believed to be holding captive other foreigners, including a Dutch man, two Malaysians and an Italian priest.

Join the Conversation

619 Comments

  1. I do not know whether it’s just me or if perhaps everybody else encountering issues with your website. It appears as though some of the text within your posts are running off the screen. Can somebody else please provide feedback and let me know if this is happening to them too? This might be a problem with my web browser because I’ve had this happen before. Appreciate it|

  9. Whats up are using Wordpress for your site platform? I’m new to the blog world but I’m trying to get started and create my own. Do you need any coding knowledge to make your own blog? Any help would be greatly appreciated!|

  10. I have been exploring for a little for any high quality articles or blog posts on this kind of space . Exploring in Yahoo I eventually stumbled upon this web site. Studying this info So i am happy to express that I have an incredibly just right uncanny feeling I discovered exactly what I needed. I most surely will make sure to don?t fail to remember this website and provides it a look regularly.|

  15. I would really like to appreciate the endeavors you cash in on written this article. I’m going for the similar best product from you finding out in the foreseeable future as well. Actually your creative writing abilities has urged me to begin my very own blog now. Genuinely the blogging is distributing its wings rapidly. Your write down is often a fine illustration showing it.

  18. Hello, i read your blog from time to time and i own a similar one and i was just wondering if you get a lot of spam feedback? If so how do you protect against it, any plugin or anything you can advise? I get so much lately it’s driving me mad so any support is very much appreciated.|