| Sipadan kidnappings of 2000 | |
|---|---|
| Part of Islamic insurgency in the Philippines and Cross border attacks in Sabah | |
  Sipadan Sipadan (Malaysia) Location of Sipadan Island in Malaysia | |
| Location | Sipadan, Malaysia and Jolo, Philippines |
| Coordinates | 4°06′53″N 118°37′44″E / 4.114683°N 118.628756°E |
| Date | 23 April 2000 – 19 September 2000 (UTC+8) |
| Target | Local and foreign tourists |
Attack type | Hostage situation |
| Weapons | Automatic weapons, grenades and rocket-propelled grenades |
| Deaths | None |
| Injured | Several |
| 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]
- ^ Fuller, Thomas (25 April 2000). "20 Kidnapped From Malaysian Resort Island". New York Times. Retrieved 27 May 2013.
- ^ a b "Abu Sayyaf kidnappings, bombings and other attacks". GMA News. 23 August 2007. Retrieved 22 March 2010.
- ^ 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.