In what appears to be a terrorist related or ransom plot of some kind, eleven armed men have stormed ashore near midnight at the quiet southern Philippines resort known as Holiday Ocean View on Samal Island. They abducted two Canadian men as well as the Norwegian manager of the resort and a Filipino woman. They attempted to take others, but their prey escaped by leaping off their moored yachts into the water and swimming away. The Canadian, identified in the linked CBC story, are retired resource industry executives.
AL-QAEDA, COMMUNIST GUERRILLAS?
The CBC says no group has claimed responsibility but Muslim and communist rebels, al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf militants and criminal syndicates have been active for years in the restive southern region due to weak law enforcement in rural areas despite years of on-and-off government crackdowns. CBC Below is video of the actual kidnapping from surveillance video at the resort.
