Philippines' Abu Sayyaf dig grave for hostage, threaten beheading

Manila, Oct 15 (IANS/EFE) Abu Sayyaf Filipino Islamist rebels holding two German tourists Wednesday released a photo of the grave they have dug for one of the hostages, whom they threatened to behead within two days if their demands are not met.

The rebels are demanding a $5.6-million ransom and an end to Germany's support for the US-led international coalition fighting Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in Syria and Iraq.

The rebels accompanied the photograph with a message warning that if their demands are not met, one of the two hostages would die Oct 17, "exactly at 03.00 local time".

The picture, posted on social networks, shows German hostage Stefan Viktor Okonek, 74, sitting inside the grave with his hands tied behind his back and a flag associated with the Al Qaeda in the background.

In statements to Radio Mindanao Wednesday, Okonek urged authorities to do all that is possible to save them.

"I'm here sitting in a hole. They have dug a pit of 3 by 1.5 metres. They have told me that this is my grave. They have pushed me inside and I am sitting with 10 armed men around me," said the German physician, who was kidnapped last April along with his partner, Henrike Dielen.

The new rebel threats came after the Philippine Army stepped up its search for the captives on the island of Sulu, 980 km south of Manila.

The Inquirer daily Wednesday said Abu Sayyaf was prepared to cancel its ultimatum if negotiations were held with Philippine Foreign Affairs Minister Alberto del Rosario.

Germany and the Philippines maintain their policy of not negotiating with terrorists.

Abu Sayyaf, which is linked to Al Qaeda and has about 400 fighters, is holding captive two other Europeans -- a Dutch and a Swiss -- since February 2012, in addition to a Malaysian coastguard and a Chinese woman and her daughter.

The group was created in 1991 by a handful of veterans who fought in the Afghan war against the former Soviet Union, and is responsible for some of the bloodiest attacks in recent years in the Philippines.

--IANS/EFE

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