The Norwegian hostage, who was freed by the Abu Sayyaf group in Philippines on Saturday, was on his way to a jungle army camp for debriefing before a meeting with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, officials said on Sunday.
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Sekkingstad, held in jungle captivity since being kidnapped in September a year ago, was to stay overnight at the house of Moro National Liberation Front chairman Nur Misuari in Sulu and then meet with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday, said Jesus Dureza, who advises Duterte on peace talks with insurgent groups.
The Indonesians – identified as Lorence Koten, Teo Doros Kofong, and Emmanuel Arakian – were released by the Abu Sayyaf group on Saturday night at an undisclosed place in Sulu in the Southwest Philippines, said spokesman Major Filemon Tan.
Along with Sekkingstad, two Canadians and a Filipina woman were also taken hostage.
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Meanwhile, a separate security source, who asked not to be named as he is not authorized to speak but is privy to the ongoing operation, disclosed that the release “was a result of payment of unspecified amount of ransom”.
“If there is a family member or a third party who paid, we have no information, but as far as the gov’t is concern, we maintain a no ransom policy”, Andanar explained.
A boat was also seized by the Philippine National Police in Parang, Sulu.
Dureza said “men of Misuari and former Governor Sakur Tan and other volunteers helped in the release”.
Professor Samsula Adju, the spokesman of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), said the latest to be freed where three Indonesian crewmen of an Indonesian tugboat abducted by the Abu Sayyaf on the Sulu Sea on July 19.
“The MNLF plays an important role, because they are local people and they know the region, where to escape or where to hide”, Ryamizard said. Two of his fellow captives, Canadians John Ridsel and Robert Hall, were decapitated this year.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte had suggested in August that a large ransom had already been paid but that the jihadists were still holding Mr Sekkingstad.
Marine Col. Edgard A. Arevalo, AFP Public Affairs Office chief, credited the release of the hostages to the intensified military operations being waged by the military against the ASG.
It was the first time Duterte confirmed suspicions that the terrorist Islamic State has established a presence in the country through the Abu Sayyaf bandits who have sworn allegiance to the global jihadist network. Without any known foreign funding, the extremists have relied on ransom kidnappings, extortion and other acts of banditry, and some commanders have pledged loyalty to the Islamic State group partly in the hope of obtaining funds.
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Largely weakened by these attacks, Abu Sayyaf started to move from large-scale bombings to kidnappings.
