Aussie kidnapped in Philippines seeks $2M ransom

MANILA, Philippines — A former Australian soldier kidnapped in the southern Philippines is seen pleading for his life in a video sent to his family and urging Manila and Canberra to raise a $2 million ransom being demanded by his captors.

The video of 53-year-old Warren Richard Rodwell, along with four photographs showing him in handcuffs and apparently wounded in the right hand, were mailed to his Filipino wife before Christmas, Philippine police officials said. The Associated Press saw a copy of the video and pictures Thursday.

Wearing a sweater and appearing to read from a piece of paper, Rodwell tried to clear his throat as he spoke in the brief video, which was given by his family to Philippine police investigators. Looking haggard and unshaven, he squinted his eyes at times and stood in front of a blue tarpaulin covering a backdrop of vegetation.

One of the photos showed a silver handcuff and its chain dangling from his left wrist. The side of his right palm appeared to be wounded.

Rodwell, who also previously worked as a university teacher in Shanghai, was taken at gunpoint by about six men on Dec. 5 in southern Ipil town in Zamboanga Sibugay province. It was the latest abduction of a foreigner in the country’s volatile south, where several kidnappings for ransom have been blamed on the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group.

No group has claimed responsibility for Rodwell’s kidnapping, but officials suspect the Abu Sayyaf and its allied gunmen may be responsible.

Philippine Police Senior Superintendent Ruben Cariaga told The AP on Sunday that the kidnappers called Rodwell’s wife before Christmas to demand an initial ransom of $23,000.

The Australian government has established a task force to investigate the kidnapping and negotiate with the captors. Australia has a long-standing policy of refusing to pay ransoms.

The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade on Thursday declined to comment on developments in the investigation.

“Our primary focus remains Mr. Rodwell’s welfare,” the department said in a statement.

“Our embassy in the Philippines is working closely with local authorities with support from a whole-of-government task force in Canberra,” it added.

Hundreds of Philippine troops and police have been searching for Rodwell in the Zamboanga peninsula and nearby Basilan island, where the Abu Sayyaf and other Muslim militant groups are active.

The Moro Islamic Liberation Front, a large Muslim rebel group engaged in peace talks with the government, said this week it would intensify efforts to help secure Rodwell’s freedom in coordination with authorities.