Pentagon kidnap try on American foiled

This time, the police were ready for them.

Police waiting in ambush thwarted early yesterday a kidnap attempt by the notorious Pentagon gang on an American business executive in Central Mindanao and killed two of the suspected kidnappers.

Regional police director Chief Superintendent Bartolome Baluyot said the Pentagon was planning to abduct Chris Hubbard, Asia director for agriculture of Dole Philippines, and possibly other officials of the multinational firm who hold office in Polomolok town in South Cotabato.

Alerted by intelligence reports that the Pentagon gang would swoop down on the pineapple plantation and cannery, policemen opened fire as the kidnappers arrived, killing two of the gang leaders.

One of the slain suspects was identified as Ugod Hamza, reportedly an intelligence officer of the kidnap gang.

Other members of the band fled and are now the object of pursuit operations by the police.

Baluyot said advance information stated that at least eight Pentagon gang members would swoop down on the Dole facility. It was not known how many actually showed up.

"We have been building these intelligence efforts to trace the kidnap gang. We have waited a long time and eventually got them," Ba-luyot said.

He said elements of the special anti-kidnapping task force had been deployed to the Dole area since Friday.

He added that police investigators found several documents on the dead raiders outlining the kidnap plot and mapping out the whole Dole plant complex, and sketches showing Hubbard’s office and an escape route

They also recovered some weapons and a motorcycle used by the raiders.

He said there were several Dole executives at the plant when the kidnap gang arrived, but added he did not know where Hubbard was at the time.

Baluyot expressed confidence that the successful operation would be the start of the downfall of the Pentagon gang.

"Sooner or later, we would be able to neutralize the leader of this group," he said.

He identified the gang leaders as Tahir Alonto and Faisal Marohombsar, former commanders of the Muslim secessionist Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) which is holding peace talks with the government.

The Pentagon still holds Italian priest Giuseppe Pierantoni who was seized last Oct. 17 from a coastal town of Dimataling in Zamboanga del Sur.

The US government has included the Pentagon gang in its list of international terrorists.

The kidnap attempt on Hubbard came as government forces were pursuing Abu Sayyaf bandits on Basilan island who were also holding American missionary couple Martin and Gracia Burnham and Filipino nurse Deborah Yap.

The Burnhams were snatched in May by Abu Sayyaf gunmen who descended on the upscale Dos Palmas resort in Palawan and rounded up 20 guests and staff members of the facility.

A third American, Guillermo Sobero of Corona, California was beheaded last June along with about a dozen other Filipino hostages.

On Dec. 23, police raided a Pentagon hideout in Davao and rescued Canadian Pierre Belanguer, held hostage for nearly two months.

Police shot dead two of the kidnappers.

The Pentagon gained notoriety after abducting four Chinese nationals last June and August. Two of the victims were killed while trying to escape. The third was wounded but managed to dash to freedom, while the fourth was voluntarily released.

The Pentagon gang has since been becoming increasingly active, although much smaller than the Abu Sayyaf which styled itself as freedom fighters struggling for an independent Islamic state in Mindanao.