17 Abu Sayyaf members convicted for 2000 Sipadan resort kidnappings

MANILA, Philippines — A Taguig Regional Trial Court (RTC) has convicted 17 members of the Abu Sayyaf Group for the kidnapping of 21 foreign and Filipino nationals in 2000.

In a 157-page ruling issued by Taguig RTC Branch 153 on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024, the court found the 17 Abu Sayyaf members guilty of 21 counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention with ransom.

Each was sentenced to reclusion perpetua, equivalent to 20 to 40 years imprisonment, for each count.

Among those convicted were Hilarion del Rosario Santos III, founder of the Rajah Solaiman Movement, and Redendo Cain Dellosa, both listed by the United Nations Security Council for their links to terrorist groups such as Osama Bin Laden’s Al-Qaida and Jemaah Islamiyah. Although their charges focused on kidnapping and illegal detention, both men had been previously designated by the UN for their involvement in global terrorism.

The following Abu Sayyaf members were convicted:

Several prominent Abu Sayyaf leaders, including Galib Andang (alias Commander Robot) and Nadjmi Sabdulla (alias Commander Global), died during a 2005 attempted jailbreak in Camp Bagong Diwa, Bicutan, Taguig City. Their deaths led to the dismissal of the charges against them, as both criminal and civil liabilities are extinguished upon death.

The convictions are tied to the April 2000 kidnapping of 21 people from Sipadan Island, Malaysia, including 10 foreign tourists and 11 resort workers. The Abu Sayyaf gunmen took the victims at gunpoint and held them captive in Jolo, Sulu, demanding ransom from their families and the Philippine government.

Among the kidnapped were 10 foreign tourists—three Germans, two Finns, two South Africans, one Lebanese, and two French nationals—along with 11 resort workers, nine Malaysians, and two Filipinos.

Notably, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi mediated the crisis, facilitating the release of six European hostages. These individuals were flown to the United Arab Emirates and then to Tripoli, Libya’s capital, on a Libyan aircraft.