FBI negotiators arrive in Zamboanga

Hostage negotiation experts of the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrived in Zamboanga yesterday to assist the Philippine government in the Abu Sayyaf hostage crisis. Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Leandro Mendoza said the team of FBI specialists would provide "advice and consultancy."

Negotiations are unlikely to involve ransom for the Filipinos and three Americans being held by the bandits. The United States follows a no-ransom policy in dealing with terrorists.

Earlier yesterday, highly reliable sources told The STAR US anti-terrorist experts were expected to arrive in the country to help authorities track down and arrest foreign supporters of the Abu Sayyaf.

The sources said the US team will try to pinpoint the foreign supplier of the bandits’ modern weapons.

Government forces now face bigger risks because the Abu Sayyaf extremists have updated their arsenal using millions of dollars in ransom payments for Europeans and Malaysians they seized from the Malaysian island of Sipadan last year.

The US earlier offered help in resolving the crisis involving the Abu Sayyaf bandits, who kidnapped 17 Filipinos and three Americans from an island resort in Palawan last May 27.

Officials of the Armed Forces of the Philippines said yesterday they still could not identify the exact source of the Abu Sayyaf’s weapons except that these came from radical Muslim states perceived to be "exporters of terrorism."

The name of top terrorist Osama bin Laden, the primary suspect in the bombing of US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, has continuously cropped up during investigations into the Abu Sayyaf’s foreign link.

A brother-in-law of the Saudi Arabian millionaire, who was simply identified as Khalifa, is reportedly Bin Laden’s conduit with the Abu Sayyaf in Mindanao.

Khalifa has recently been sighted in Mindanao. The military had also sighted some foreigners in the company of the Abu Sayyaf during combat operations.

US authorities believe that "an external hand is orchestrating" the kidnapping of three Americans from the Dos Palmas resort in Palawan to "bring down on its knees" the Philippine government.

As this developed, immigration officials told The STAR an Iranian and a Lebanese national, whom police believe helped the Abu Sayyaf kidnap the three Americans and 17 Filipinos from Dos Palmas, could have entered the country under assumed names.

Police earlier identified the two men as Bancrol Naghsh Manscour, an Iranian, and Bouldhourjian Nazared, a Lebanese, who allegedly rented separate cottages at Dos Palmas three days before the May 27 kidnapping.

Senior immigration intelligence officer Crescencio Ablan said American anti-terrorist experts have been "checking and re-checking" arrivals from perceived radical Muslim states.

"They have been comparing their data with our files, and checking closely our photos with them to determine if those in their list of international terrorists match with those in our files," he said.

Immigration Commissioner Andrea Domingo has instructed Danilo Almeda, head immigration supervisor, to strictly monitor foreigners arriving in the country enroute to Mindanao.

"I don’t see any rational behind these foreigners on tourist visas going at this time to Mindanao," she said.

Iranian embassy cries foul

The embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran described as "baseless" recent remarks and reports on the alleged involvement of an Iranian national in the Dos Palmas kidnapping.

In a statement, the embassy clarified that the Iranian named in recent reports is a well-known businessman with a good personal background.

"He is married to a Filipina and has stayed in the Philippines for more than 24 years. Hence, the Embassy believes that the allegations are baseless and without any substantial evidence linking him to the case," the statement said.

The embassy said recent reports were irresponsible and unprofessional which could ruin the reputation of an individual.

"Considering the desire of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of the Philippines to uphold and strengthen existing cordial relations, the Embassy hopes that relevant authorities responsible in declaring these unfounded reports to media compensate for their baseless remarks and announce their apologies in an appropriate manner," the statement added.