Kidnapped engineer escapes Abu Sayyaf militants in southern Philippines

Kidnapped engineer escapes Abu Sayyaf militants in southern Philippines

2011-06-19 22:47:33 GMT+7 (ICT)

ZAMBOANGA CITY, PHILIPPINES (BNO NEWS) -- A Filipino engineer who was kidnapped by suspected militants has escaped from his captors in the southern Filipino province of Basilan, the Mindanao Examiner reported on Sunday.

Chief Inspector Edwin Placio said Virgilio Fernandez, who was recovered on Sunday in the town of Al Barka, is now reunited with his family. He said government militias guarding a rubber plantation spotted Fernandez walking alone in the village of Guinanta.

"Fernandez claimed he had escaped from his captors and was trying to find his way when spotted by government militias and handed over to us," Placio told the news outlet.

Fernandez was kidnapped on June 3 in Lamitan City by suspected Abu Sayyaf extremists. He was riding on a mini-dump truck when two motorcycles blocked the road. The motorcycle riders then shot the truck's front tire and dragged Fernandez away.

The al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf is a band of self-styled Islamists who have been blamed for some of the worst terrorist attacks in the Philippines and high-profile kidnappings involving foreign hostages.

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