The Muslim militant group Abu Sayyaf kidnapped another Western hostage in the Philippines yesterday, while six released hostages were travelling to Tripoli.
Philippine officials said yesterday that an American had been abducted by Abu Sayyaf, who threatened to kill him unless Washington freed prisoners, including Ramzi Youssef, convicted for the World Trade Centre bombing attack.
Jeffrey Craig Schilling (24) was kidnapped in Zamboanga city on Monday and taken to nearby Jolo island, where he joined six European and 17 Filipino hostages who have been held by the Abu Sayyaf for up to four months.
Meanwhile, the six Western hostages freed after weeks of captivity in the Philippine jungle arrived in Tripoli for a ceremony at which tributes were paid to the country's leader, Col Muammar Gadafy, who played a leading role in organising the negotiation of their freedom.
But Col Gadafy and his son Seif al-Islam, head of the charitable foundation which officially mediated the release of the hostages, failed to appear at the welcoming ceremony in front of the ruins of the Libyan leader's home destroyed in a US air raid in 1986.
The six released hostages sat in armchairs on a stage covered with a red carpet to listen to a long message from Mr Seif al-Islam, praising Col Gadafy and the work of the foundation, and condemning Western powers.
Afterwards German, French, South African and Lebanese ministers who had arrived to take their nationals home gave speeches thanking Col Gadafy for his efforts. The French Foreign Aid Minister, Mr Charles Josselin, said he particularly wanted to thank Col Gadafy on behalf of President Jacques Chirac, the Prime Minister and the French people.
Speaking on behalf of the hostages, Mr Werner Wallert from Germany, wearing a T-shirt bearing Col Gadafy's portrait, expressed "deep gratitude" to the Libyan leader. Like the other speakers, he recalled that other hostages were still being held by the Abu Sayyaf group.
During the speeches, South Africans Callie and Monique Strydom held hands, Frenchwoman Sonia Wendling toyed with a red rose, and Franco-Lebanese Marie Moarbes sobbed frequently.
Afterwards the hostages, who had arrived early yesterday in Tripoli after the flight from the Philippines with a stopover in the United Arab Emirates, were taken around the remains of Col Gadafy's home.