MANILA: A Swiss man kidnapped by Islamist militants in the Philippines nearly three years ago escaped yesterday after a fierce struggle with one of his captors over a machete and a frantic run to freedom under gunfire, the military said.
Lorenzo Vinciguerra took advantage of a pre-dawn assault by soldiers on his Abu Sayyaf abductors in the jungles of a remote southern island to make his bold escape, the local military spokeswoman told AFP.
“One of them (gunmen) caught up with him as he was running away and there was a scuffle over his machete,” spokeswoman Captain Rowena Muyuela said.
“Vinciguerra was slashed on the cheek but he stabbed the other man in the head... then the bandits shot at him but he got away.”
A Dutch man who was abducted with Vinciguerra, Ewold Horn, was unable to run away because he was too frail and is believed to still be a captive, Muyuela said.
Local military commander Colonel Alan Arrojado said his troops, acting on a tip, had been able to track the gunmen on Jolo island, a known stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf about 1,000 kilometres south of Manila.
“It was in the jungle, in the darkness. I sent a message to the Scout Rangers that they should not shoot randomly. Sure enough, we encountered them,” Arrojado told AFP.
An informant later reported to the military that the man Vinciguerra had fought with had died, according to Arrojado, but he said this could not be confirmed. Vinciguerra, who was reported to be 47 when kidnapped, was only slightly injured in the scuffle, Arrojado said.
AFP
