ISIS supporters in Philippines release two German hostages

Al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf free German man and woman after ransom was received in full.

Phillipines Islamist group Abu Sayyaf has says it supports ISIS fighters in the Middle East.
Phillipines Islamist group Abu Sayyaf has says it supports ISIS fighters in the Middle East.

Al-Qaida-linked Islamist militants in the southern Philippines have freed two German hostages after ransom was received in full, a rebel spokesman told a commercial radio station.

The German man and woman were seized by Islamist group Abu Sayyaf in April when their yacht had mechanical problems while sailing from western Palawan in the Philippines to the eastern Malaysian state of Sabah.

The rebels had demanded a 250 million pesos (£3.4m) ransom and had originally threatened to kill one of the captives on Friday afternoon.

Abu Rami, a spokesman for the Abu Sayyaf group, said the Germans were released after they received the ransom in full.

Military and government officials could not immediately confirm the report.

Abu Sayyaf, which says it supports Islamic State (ISIS) fighters in the Middle East and has a record of kidnappings, killings and bombings, has also demanded that Germany stops supporting US-led air strikes on ISIS fighters in Iraq and Syria.

Some Muslim groups in the southern Philippines have long been fighting Manila’s rule, but Abu Sayyaf rose to prominence in 2000 after kidnapping 21 tourists and workers from a resort in nearby Malaysia.