Abu Sayyaf rebels kidnap bank teller

Muslim extremists belonging to the Abu Sayyaf have abducted a bank employee in Sulu province, just a week after government troops killed six of their members, the military said yesterday.

Seven armed men on Saturday snatched Patrick Viray while he was biking with friends in the town of Parang, local Marine commander Brig. Gen. Orlando Buenaventura said.

Viray, a teller at Allied Banking Corp.'s Jolo branch, was reportedly mistaken for a Filipino-Chinese businessman because of his features.

The victim, president of the Jolo Bicycle Association, is a son of a retired military officer.

He was biking with his friends in Barangay Tikong when flagged down by the kidnappers at around 2 p.m., and dragged to a waiting Tamaraw FX backed by a similar vehicle. Viray's friends were left unharmed.

Buenaventura disclosed that government troops were dispatched to track down the suspects, who were believed to have headed towards the hinterland town of Talipao, a known Muslim stronghold.

The military officer alleged that Abu Sayyaf leader Galib Andang was behind Viray's abduction.

Andang's group was also responsible for the abductions of businessmen Robustiano Hablo Jr. and Edwin Induso, who were kidnapped in separate incidents last year, also in Jolo. -- With AFP reports