Philippine militants get part of ransom for kidnapped Germans

Fri Oct 17, 2014 5:04pm IST

MANILA (Reuters) - Al Qaeda-linked Islamist militants in the Philippines holding two Germans said on Friday they had received some of the ransom they had been demanding and would not kill one of the Germans as they had threatened to.

The hostages, captured by militants of the Abu Sayyaf group in April from a yacht on the high seas, are being held in the interior of the remote island of Jolo, 600 miles (960 km) south of Manila.

Al Kataib, a man who described himself as an associate of militant spokesman Abu Rami, said in a telephone call to reporters in Zamboanga City that the group got a portion of the 250 million Philippine pesos ($5.56 million) they had been demanded by Friday and "would not touch" the German they had threatened to behead.

He declined to say how much money they had got, or give details about who had paid it.

A government official confirmed that the German man had not been killed.

"The beheading will not happen," said the government source who declined to be identified.

The official, who was privy to the negotiations with the rebels, said about 60 million pesos had been paid. The remainder would be delivered after more talks, the official said.

The Abu Sayyaf, which says it supports Islamic State fighters in the Middle East, have also demanded that Germany stops supporting U.S.-led air strikes on Islamic State fighters in Iraq and Syria.

German government sources told Reuters that Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier had sent a special envoy to the Philippines to negotiate a deal.

The envoy, Ruediger Koenig, had arrived in Manila, the sources said on Thursday evening.

The rebels have a record of kidnappings, killings and bombings.

Some Muslim groups in the southern Philippines have long been fighting Manila's rule, but Abu Sayyaf burst into prominence in 2000 after kidnapping 21 tourists and workers from a dive resort in nearby Malaysia.

(Reporting by Manuel Mogato and Karen Lema in Manila and Michael Nienaber in Berlin; Writing by Karen Lema; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan and Robert Birsel)

Source http://in.mobile.reuters.com/article/idINKCN0I613N20141017?irpc=932