Militants ‘plotted to kill’ Philippine president
Print Edition
THE Philippine president said yesterday that Abu Sayyaf militants might have plotted to kill him and kidnap boxing star Manny Pacquiao, disclosing previously unknown details about an extremist group blamed for the beheading of a Canadian hostage.
President Benigno Aquino III said the Muslim militants also wanted to explode bombs in metropolitan Manila to try to get funding from the Islamic State group but the plans were uncovered and troops have reduced the Abu Sayyaf’s ability to inflict harm.
Aquino, whose six-year term ends in June, vowed “to devote all my energies” to ensure that the extremists would be “at the very least ... a very seriously degraded problem” for his successor.
While he has forged a peace pact with a larger Muslim rebel group, Aquino said there is no possibility of talks with Abu Sayyaf, which is accused of beheading Canadian John Ridsdel on Monday in Sulu province.
“We have always believed in the power of dialogue, development and positive engagement over arms,” Aquino said.
But he said of the Abu Sayyaf: “You have chosen only the language of force and we will speak to you only in that language.”
Ridsdel, 68, was beheaded after Abu Sayyaf did not receive a large ransom it had demanded by a Monday deadline. A fellow Canadian, a Norwegian and a Filipino woman who were kidnapped with Ridsdel from a southern marina in September are still being held by the militants, along with about 20 other foreign hostages.
Police have recovered Ridsdel’s head, which was dumped by the militants in Sulu’s Jolo town. A headless body of a Caucasian man was also found in a clearing in Sulu and police forensic experts were yesterday checking if it was that of the former mining executive.
Aquino said he had sent a letter expressing condolences to Ridsdel’s family, describing his death as appalling.
In Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he spoke to Aquino about possible action against the kidnappers.
“The discussions I had with President Aquino and are continuing to have with our allies in the Philippines is the need to bring these criminals to justice and to do whatever we can to express that we are very concerned about security of Canadians,” Trudeau said.
The Canadian leader stressed that “we will not pay a ransom.”
A sizeable Abu Sayyaf force, led by militant commander Radulan Sahiron, is surrounding the remaining captives, Aquino said. While that is a delicate situation, “it is also an opportunity because smashing these forces is within our grasp,” he said.
“Casualties are to be expected,” he said, but he added that troops were adequately trained and well armed.
Aquino said the Abu Sayyaf militants have posed as Islamic freedom fighters, but “have behaved as criminals focused on enriching themselves by taking hostages for ransom.”
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