MANILA, Philippines — Philippine police said Friday they have launched a search after gunmen reportedly kidnapped a US citizen who was shot in the leg when he tried to resist before being taken away by speedboat from a southern Philippine coastal town.
Police in the town of Sibuco in the southern province of Zamboanga del Norte attempted to pursue the suspected kidnappers and their victim, whom they identified as Elliot Onil Eastman, 26, of Vermont, after the reported kidnapping on Thursday evening.
“We confirm that there was a report of the alleged kidnapping of a US citizen,” regional police said in a statement. “We want to assure the public, especially the community of Sibuco, that we are doing everything we can to ensure safety. the safe recovery of the victim.”
Police asked the public to immediately provide any information that could assist an ongoing investigation into the reported kidnapping.
Two police reports seen by The Associated Press stated that a Sibuco resident, Abdulmali Hamsiran Jala, reported to police that four men in black clothing, armed with M16 rifles and introducing themselves as police officers, forcibly took Eastman, who tried to escape.
One of the gunmen shot Eastman in the leg before dragging him into a speedboat and then fled by sea further south to Basilan or Sulu provinces, police reports said.
Police officers gave chase but were unable to find the gunmen and Eastman and alerted other police and Philippine Navy units in the region, the reports said.
Philippine authorities did not immediately provide background information on Eastman, but a person with a similar name posted photos and videos of himself on Facebook saying he married a Muslim woman in Sibuco.
The U.S. Embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to questions about the reported kidnapping.
Armed Muslim gangs led infamous acts of violence Abu Sayyaf regularly carried out kidnappings for ransom more than two decades ago in the south, home to a Muslim minority in the largely Roman Catholic country.
They focused American and other western tourists and religious missionaries, most of whom were ransomed. Several were killed, including an American who was beheaded in the island province of Basilan and another who was killed as army troops tried to rescue him and his wife.
However, ruthless military and police offensives have significantly weakened Abu Sayyaf, which is considered a terrorist organization by the US and the Philippines, and similar armed groups, and kidnappings for ransom have ultimately declined.
The Philippines will hold midterm elections next year for more than 18,000 local and national posts. In the traditionally volatile south, authorities say crimes, including kidnappings, have traditionally increased as rogue politicians try to raise money to fuel their campaigns.