| Schilling no
starnger to his kidnappers - PNP JOLO—An American being
held hostage by Muslim rebels visited their camp twice before being abducted and discussed
procuring night vision goggles for them, the Philippine National Police chief confirmed
Saturday.
Jeffrey Edward
Schilling, of Oakland, California, was taken captive by the Abu Sayyaf rebels Aug. 28
after he visited their camp on southern Jolo island in Sulu province. Schilling says rebel
leaders abducted him after they began suspecting he was a CIA agent, which he denies.
National police
chief Panfilo Lacson said Schilling had also visited a rebel camp on the nearby province
of Basilan.
“Twice in the
past two years Schilling visited the Abu Sayyaf camp in Basilan (and met) with Abu Sayyaf
leaders for the procurement of night vision goggles,” Lacson said in a television
interview.
“Because he
went there without any difficulty, we are wondering why he was kidnapped, because he went
to Sulu and transacted business,” Lacson added.
The rebel faction
holding Schilling previously operated on Basilan, but fled to Jolo to escape a military
assault after they kidnapped about 50 children and teachers from two schools.
On Sept. 16, the
military also launched a massive attack on Jolo to rescue 17 other hostages being held by
the Abu Sayyaf, including Schilling and three Malaysians.
Philippine
officials have raised questions about Schilling’s relationship with the rebels,
although they say they continue to believe he is being held against his will.
Schilling’s
wife, Ivi Osani, is the second cousin of the Abu Sayyaf’s spokesman and the widow of
a rebel killed several years ago by government troops.
Osani, who went to
the rebel camp with Schilling but was not abducted, is being held by police.
Schilling, 24,
majored in Near East studies at the University of California at Berkeley and converted to
Islam in 1994. He is deeply interested in the status of Muslim minorities in countries
like the Philippines, his family says.
The Abu Sayyaf
claims it is fighting for an independent Islamic state in the impoverished southern
Philippines. In the past six months it has kidnapped scores of people. Most were released
after Libya and Malaysia paid more than $15 million in ransom, negotiators say.
Several Philippine
news reports have accused Schilling of discussing procurement of supplies such as
camouflage uniforms, combat boots and night vision goggles from the United States.
Schilling’s mother, Carol, has denied he was an arms dealer.
Earlier this week,
presidential spokesman Ricardo Puno said the government still considered Schilling a
hostage and was attempting to free him, but would charge him if any evidence is found that
he committed crimes.
The military says
111 rebels are believed to have died in the assault by 5,000 troops on Jolo. Four
government soldiers have been killed and more than 80,000 villagers have been forced to
flee their homes, officials say. --AP
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