RP to share information from Robot

The Philippines will pass on to Germany, France and Finland information obtained from a captured Abu Sayyaf leader that could lead to the dismantling of terrorist cells, the military said yesterday.

Military chief Gen. Narciso Abaya assured diplomats from the three countries Monday that Manila was willing to share with them information obtained from the militant, Ghalib Andang, a military spokesman said.

The three governments consider this month’s arrest of Andang, alias Commander Robot, "a serious blow to the Abu Sayyaf and more widely to terrorism," Lt. Col. Daniel Lucero said.

Andang led a faction of the al-Qaeda-linked group that kidnapped 21 Finnish, French, German, Lebanese, South African, Malaysian and Filipino tourists and resort workers from the Sipadan diving spot off Borneo island in April 2000.

All hostages were released in batches after several months, allegedly after payment of ransom reaching up to 25 million dollars and provided by Libya, a former negotiator has claimed.

Abaya promised the diplomats access to any valuable intelligence data Andang might divulge, including the scope of the Muslim group’s operations in the south, Lucero said.

"They asked whether the (military) will allow their respective investigators to have access to Robot and the chief of staff gladly told them that the (military) is willing to share with them" any information, he said.

Troops captured Andang on Dec. 8, effectively neutralizing Abu Sayyaf which has carried out numerous kidnappings and deadly bombings against Christian and foreign targets in this overwhelmingly Catholic country in the past decade.

The group is also suspected of killing two US hostages and has been labeled "foreign terrorist organization" by Washington.

President Arroyo said last week Manila would allow German prosecutors to interrogate Andang, after a court in Goettingen said it wanted him extradited to face trial there for the abduction of a German family of three who were among the Sipadan hostages. — AFP