A Norwegian national held hostage by the extremist group Abu Sayyaf was released on Saturday, ending a one-year-long ordeal, the military said.
Kjartan Sekkingstad was the last of four hostages who were taken from a luxury resort on Samal Island last year. The militants had earlier beheaded Canadian nationals Robert Hall and John Ridsel while Filipina Marites Flor was released in June.
Major Filemon Tan, spokesman for the military’s Western Mindanao Command, confirmed that Sekkingstad was released around 4 p.m. No other details were immediately available.
The bandits had initially demanded P1 billion each for the captives, who were made to beg for their lives in videos released on the internet.
At least 10 foreign nationals are still held hostage by the Abu Sayyaf, including Indonesian sailors and Dutchman Ewold Horn.
In August, the bandits beheaded 18-year-old Patrick James Almodovar.
The Abu Sayyaf, a ragtag group of several hundred gunmen, is notorious for ransoming off foreigners. It has also claimed responsibility for the worst terrorist attacks in the country including the firebombing of a ferry off Manila Bay in 2004 that left over 100 people killed. ABS-CBN News
