Mother of US held hostage in Philippines breaks
silence
OAKLAND, California, Sept 5
(AFP) - The mother of an American being held captive by Muslim extremist guerrillas in the
Philippines broke her silence Tuesday to refute speculation her son was involved in spying
or arms dealing.
"There have been
allegations that my son Jeffrey Schilling went to the Abu Sayyaf camp to negotiate about
weapons," Carol Schilling said in a written statement to AFP Tuesday.
"I just want to make it
clear to Abu Sayyaf and the world that he is not now, nor has he ever been, involved in
arms dealing."
"My son is not a CIA
agent," she added, appealing to the rebels to release he son unarmed.
Jeffrey Schilling was taken
hostage last week while visiting, along with his Filipina wife Ivy Osani, a camp of the
Abu Sayyaf guerrillas near Patikul, on Jolo island.
Before leaving for the
Philippines on March 8, Jeffrey Schilling, 24, had worked with friends in several small
business ventures ranging from contract painting to herding goats in California hill
communities, Carol Schilling said.
A year ago he graduated from
the University of California, Berkeley, where he had studied Near Eastern studies.
"I encouraged him to
consider more conventional jobs so that he could have a steady income," she said.
"Jeffrey wanted to start his own businesses instead. My son is a hard worker."
Schilling converted to Islam in
1994 and is a "devout Muslim," she added.
He had an interest in the
Philippines and "concern for the plight of the Muslim community there," his
mother said. Jeffrey had friends in Zamboanga, on Mindanao island, who were able to
introduce him to the local culture, his mother said.
Shortly after arriving in
Zamboanga, Jeffrey met Osani, the sister of one of Schilling's San Francisco Bay area
friends, his mother said. A romance ensued and the couple married in April.
It has previously been reported
that Osani is related to a spokesman for the rebel group. The couple reportedly met with
rebels on Jolo at the relative's behest.
Osani has since been detained
by police.
The guerrillas have threatened
to behead Schilling after the US government rejected their demand for the immediate
release of convicted World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Youssef and two other Islamic
militants held in US jails.
On Thursday, State Department
spokesman Richard Boucher called on the Abu Sayyaf rebels to free Schilling on the grounds
that he had "long-term health problems" and needed regular doses of prescription
medication.
Schilling is being held hostage
by a different group of the rebels from those still holding six Europeans, along with 16
Filipinos, also on Jolo.
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