2000 Sipadan kidnappings

Sipadan kidnappings of 2000
Part of Islamic insurgency in the Philippines and Cross border attacks in Sabah
Sipadan is located in Malaysia
Sipadan
Sipadan
Sipadan (Malaysia)
Location of Sipadan Island in Malaysia
LocationSipadan, Malaysia and Jolo, Philippines
Coordinates4°06′53″N 118°37′44″E / 4.114683°N 118.628756°E / 4.114683; 118.628756
Date23 April 2000 – 19 September 2000 (UTC+8)
TargetLocal and foreign tourists
Attack type
Hostage situation
WeaponsAutomatic weapons, grenades and rocket-propelled grenades
DeathsNone
InjuredSeveral
Perpetrators Abu Sayyaf

The 2000 Sipadan kidnappings was a hostage crisis in Sabah, Malaysia, and the southern Philippines that began with the seizing of twenty-one hostages from the dive resort island of Sipadan at approximately 6:15 p.m. (UTC +8) on 23 April 2000, by up to six Abu Sayyaf (ASG) bandits.[1] Taken hostage were 10 tourists from Europe and the Middle East and 11 Malaysian resort workers, 19 non-Filipino nationals in total. The hostages were taken to an Abu Sayyaf base in Jolo, Sulu.[2]

During the hostage taking, Abu Sayyaf issued various demands for the release of several prisoners, including 1993 World Trade Center bomber Ramzi Yousef, $2.4 million and a complete withdrawal of government troops from the area around Jolo where the hostages were being held.[3]

The Philippine Army launched a major offensive on 16 September 2000, rescuing all remaining hostages, except Filipino dive instructor Roland Ullah. Ullah was eventually freed in 2003.[2]

  1. ^ Fuller, Thomas (25 April 2000). "20 Kidnapped From Malaysian Resort Island". New York Times. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
  2. ^ a b "Abu Sayyaf kidnappings, bombings and other attacks". GMA News. 23 August 2007. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
  3. ^ P. S. Suryanarayana (4 May 2000). "Malaysia seeks direct role in hostage crisis". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2013.