KOTA KINABALU: The Philippines military is still verifying reports that three Indonesians were abducted by armed men off Lahad Datu on Saturday.
It was claimed that the gunmen were believed to be members of a notorious kidnap-for-ransom sub-group of the Abu Sayyaf, and had already entered Philippines waters.
Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Brigadier General Restituto Padilla said they were still validating the report and could not confirm anything yet.
Sabah Police Commissioner Datuk Abdul Rashid Harun had said that the abduction took place about 3.5 nautical miles away from the Kampung Sinakut beach.
on Saturday, five heavily-armed gunmen arrived via speed boat and approached the trawler, which had seven people on board.
Equipped with rifles and even a grenade launcher, they took victims' handphones and curfew exemption permits before releasing an Indonesian and three Bajau Laut.
On April 1, four Malaysian sailors from Sarawak were kidnapped by Filipino gunmen near Pulau Ligitan off Semporna and released last month.