Kidnapped Filipino sailor Noel Besconde was beheaded after he became ill while in the custody of the Abu Sayyaf bandits, led by Hatib Sawadjaan.
A crew member of the F/B Remona siezed in the Celebes Sea in December, Besconde’s execution in Patikul, Sulu was confirmed by the Armed Forces of the Philippines after it got a copy of the video of the killing.
As of presstime, search and retrieval for the victim’s body was under way.
The bandits may have chosen to behead Besconde because dragging around an ill captive hampers their movement, the military said. The group is unlikely to have received a P3-million ransom demanded for his release, which the victim’s family could not afford to pay.
To date, the Abu Sayyaf is still holding 27 captives, including 20 foreigners and seven Filipinos.