Mindanao: Army arrests leader of Muslim kidnap gang
Manila (AsiaNews/Agencies) - Philippine soldiers have captured a Muslim rebel-turned-gangster who was allegedly behind the abduction of an Italian priest and five Chinese engineers, the military announced on Wednesday.
Nurham Ali, also known as "Commander Ramsey," a leader of the so-called Pentagon kidnap-for-ransom group, was nabbed late on Tuesday at an army checkpoint in Leon Postigo town in the southern island of Mindanao, army Lieutenant- General Hermogenes Esperon said.
Ali was one of the most wanted fugitives in the Philippines and had a bounty of 500,000 pesos on his head.
His gang is composed of former Muslim separatist rebels who have turned to crime. It is known mainly for kidnapping Christians and foreigners and holding them for ransom in Mindanao.
General Esperon said operations would continue against both the Pentagon and the Abu Sayyaf, another Muslim kidnapping gang active in the south.
Ali is believed to have been behind the abduction of Italian priest Giuseppe Pierantoni from his convent in Dimataling town in October 2001, holding him for six months. It is not clear whether a ransom was paid.
The Pentagon group also snatched five Chinese engineers working on a government irrigation project in Carmen town in 2001. Two of the Chinese died during a rescue attempt.
The United States has included the Pentagon group in its list of "foreign terrorist organisations".
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