Zamboanga City, Philippines - Muslim militants seized an elementary school principal on a southern Philippine island, a regional military spokesman said Tuesday. Gabriel Canizares, 36, was seized late Monday by 12 Abu Sayyaf guerrillas in Patikul town on Jolo Island, 1,000 kilometres south of Manila, according to Major David Hontiveros.
Hontiveros said Canizares and several teachers were riding a passenger minibus when gunmen stopped the vehicle in the village of Tanum and forcibly took him hostage.
The kidnapping occurred despite intensified military operations against the Abu Sayyaf rebels, following the release in July of the last of the three international Red Cross volunteers seized by the guerrillas on Jolo in January.
The Abu Sayyaf is the smallest but most violent Muslim rebel group in the southern Philippines. The group has been responsible for deadly terrorist attacks and high profile kidnappings in the country.
