MANILA, May 16 (UPI) -- A video by Philippine terrorist group Abu Sayyaf set a June 13 deadline to receive a $17.7 million ransom before one of two foreign hostages is executed.
The Islamist insurgents have held Canadian Robert Hall and Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad since September, when they and Canadian John Ridsdel were abducted from a Mindinao resort managed by Sekkingstad. Ridsdel was beheaded by Abu Sayyaf militants in April. Also abducted was Filipino Maritas Flor.
"We will behead another foreign hostage" on June 13 unless 600 million pesos ($17.7 million) is paid," a statement in English read on the video, released Sunday.
The video did not specify which of the two foreign captives would be targeted.
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Abu Sayyaf, founded in 1991, has managed to survive numerous attacks by the Philippine army, and seeks to establish an independent Islamic state on Mindanao, the southern-most major island of the predominantly Catholic Philippines. Designated a terrorist organization by the Philippines, the United States and the United Nations, the group of several hundred militants has pledged allegiance to Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Its fundraising comes from taking hostages and demanding ransom.
Four remaining Indonesian seamen, part of a group of 14 captured in Malaysian-Philippine waters by Abu Sayyaf, were released May 11 after they were abducted on March 26. There was no mention at the time of a ransom.
A 40-year Muslim insurgency, by a variety of groups, has killed up to 200,000 people in the Philippines.
Sunday's video has not yet been confirmed as authentic, military spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said Monday.
