Along him were a Filipino woman, who has already been freed, and two Canadians, namely John Ridsdel and Robert Hall.
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Sekkingstad’s release was an offshoot of ongoing military operations against the Abu Sayyaf group, Tan told CNN Philippines.
The militants released him in the town of Patikul in the Sulu Archipelago.
A Norwegian held hostage by a notorious kidnapping-for-ransom gang in the strife-torn southern Philippines was released Saturday after a year in captivity and will soon be handed over to authorities, officials said.
Indonesia’s defense minister thanked Manila and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) rebel group Sunday after Abu Sayyaf militants released three Indonesians and a Norwegian in the Philippines’ Muslim south.
Sekkingstad and the Indonesians were flown Sunday to meet Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte in Davao City, military officials said.
He was abducted together with Canadians John Ridsdel, Robert Hall and Filipina Marites Flor on September 21, 2015 at the Ocean View Resort in Samal Island.
Abu Ramie, a spokesman for Abu Sayyaf, said the group received a $638,000 ransom for Sekkingstad’s release.
Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar asserted that the government has not and would not pay ransom in exchange for the freedom of kidnapped victims. The militants beheaded Ridsdel and Hall in April, saying the government had failed to respond to their demands, which were reportedly ransoms of some 300 million pesos ($6.5 million) for each.
It was not immediately clear whether Mr Sekkingstad was ransomed off.
The release of Sekkingstad and Indonesians – Lorence Koten, Theo Doros Kofong, and Emanuel Arakian – will likely be seen as a victory for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.
“Now, if there is a third party like family that paid, we do not know anything about that”, he told reporters.
The violent extremist group split from established Philippines separatist movement Moro National Liberation Front in 1991.
Maj. Felimon Tan, spokesman of the AFP Western Mindanao Command, said Daniela Taruc and Levy Gonzales, employees of Power City Corp. a subcontractor of a telecommunication company, were freed and later found by a local at Barangay Tiptipon in Panglima Estino town, at about 10:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Like Norway, the Indonesian government also thanked Duterte and his government for the release of its nationals.
It is based in remote Muslim-populated southern islands in the mainly Catholic Philippines, and has earned millions of dollars in ransom from kidnappings – often targeting foreigners.
The three Indonesian fishermen were kidnapped in Lahad Datu in Sabah, Malaysia, on July 19.
Abu Sayyaf has been branded a terrorist organisation by the U.S. and the Philippines for deadly bombings, kidnappings and beheadings.
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“In fact, some of the civilian populace are giving us information and this is to our advantage, and hopefully in the coming days, this support will reduce and degrade the Abu Sayyaf into an insignificant level”, Dela Cruz added.
