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ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews/08 April) – Gunmen believed to be members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) have seized a retired Marine late Monday off Sulu, a military official disclosed.
Capt. Maria Rowena Muyuela, Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) information officer, identified the victim as Renato Fernandez.
Muyuela said Fernandez was seized around 10:30 a.m. Monday in the municipal waters of Pangutaran, an island municipality in Sulu.
Fernandez was reportedly aboard a motorboat named ML RJ Express when forcibly taken by four gunmen who pretended to be among the motorboat’s passengers.
The gunmen transferred Fernandez to one of two motorized bancas and sped to unknown direction.
Muyuela said that troops from the Joint Task Group Sulu, in coordination with the police, are tracking down the victim’s whereabouts.