The Philippine military has been hunting Abu Sayyaf Islamic militants who have earned many millions of dollars from kidnapping foreigners and locals since the early 1990s. – AFP file photo
LAHAD DATU: Ten crew members of two fishing boats are believed to have been kidnapped by a group believed to be linked to Abu Sayyaf group today.
The incident was believed to occurred off the Tambisan waters near to Tawi Tawi islands of Philippines.
It was learnt that the incident occurred at about 2am when the fishing boats were heading towards Semporna believed to renew their permits.
It was believed that the fishing boats were approached by two speedboats carrying individual(s) believed to be heavily armed.
The group believed to have taken four men from the first fishing boat and another six men from the second fishing boat. Two other crew members from the first boat and four other crew members from the second boat were left behind.
The group was believed to have fled towards the Philippine waters.
Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCom) Commander Datuk Hazani Ghazali when contacted said they are aware of the incident.
However, the exact location of the incident has not been confirmed whether it’s happening in Sabah waters the Philippines waters.
Investigations are still ongoing, he added.