Abu Sabaya (1962 – June 21, 2002) was
FilipinoThe Philippines officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
soldier and one of the leaders of the
Abu SayyafAbu Sayyaf also known as al-Harakat al-Islamiyya is one of several militant Islamist separatist groups based in and around the southern islands of the Philippines, in Bangsamoro where for almost 30 years various Muslim groups have been engaged in an insurgency for a state, independent of the...
in the southern Philippines until he was killed by soldiers of the
Philippine ArmyThe Philippine Army is the ground arm of the Armed Forces of the Philippines . Its official name in Filipino is Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas. As of 2008, General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. served as Chief of Staff of the AFP...
in 2002. He was a former engineering student and police trainee, and had lived in
Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south...
for several years
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2056941.stmhttp://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/DG17Ae01.html
Prior to his death, the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government had placed a
USDThe United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States. The U.S. dollar is normally abbreviated as the dollar sign, $, or as USD or US$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies and from others that use the $ symbol. It is divided into 100 cents .The U.S...
5,000,000 reward on his arrest for the May 2001
kidnappingsThe Dos Palmas kidnappings was a hostage crisis which initially took place on Dos Palmas, an upscale island resort at Palawan, Philippines, organized by Abu Sayyaf guerrilla leader Abu Sabaya. Twenty hostages were initially captured without incident. Among them were three Americans: Guillermo...
of two American missionaries and another American who was beheaded.
Abu Sabaya (1962 – June 21, 2002) was
FilipinoThe Philippines officially known as the Republic of the Philippines, is a country in Southeast Asia with Manila as its capital city. It comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean....
soldier and one of the leaders of the
Abu SayyafAbu Sayyaf also known as al-Harakat al-Islamiyya is one of several militant Islamist separatist groups based in and around the southern islands of the Philippines, in Bangsamoro where for almost 30 years various Muslim groups have been engaged in an insurgency for a state, independent of the...
in the southern Philippines until he was killed by soldiers of the
Philippine ArmyThe Philippine Army is the ground arm of the Armed Forces of the Philippines . Its official name in Filipino is Hukbong Katihan ng Pilipinas. As of 2008, General Hermogenes Esperon Jr. served as Chief of Staff of the AFP...
in 2002. He was a former engineering student and police trainee, and had lived in
Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south...
for several years
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/2056941.stmhttp://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southeast_Asia/DG17Ae01.html
Prior to his death, the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government had placed a
USDThe United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States. The U.S. dollar is normally abbreviated as the dollar sign, $, or as USD or US$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies and from others that use the $ symbol. It is divided into 100 cents .The U.S...
5,000,000 reward on his arrest for the May 2001
kidnappingsThe Dos Palmas kidnappings was a hostage crisis which initially took place on Dos Palmas, an upscale island resort at Palawan, Philippines, organized by Abu Sayyaf guerrilla leader Abu Sabaya. Twenty hostages were initially captured without incident. Among them were three Americans: Guillermo...
of two American missionaries and another American who was beheaded. According to the Philippine Army documents, Sabaya had dropped out of a criminology course to join the
Moro National Liberation FrontThe Moro National Liberation Front is a political organization in the Philippines. It is accredited by the Organization of the Islamic Conference, which allows it to represent Moro people with an observer status...
(M.N.L.F.), an Islamic rebel group, who trained him in bomb-making and assassination. When the M.N.L.F. signed a peace treaty with the Philippine government in 1997, Sabaya joined Filipinos working in
Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia , is an Arab country and the largest country of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Jordan on the northwest, Iraq on the north and northeast, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates on the east, Oman on the southeast, and Yemen on the south...
. Upon his return to the Philippines he came into contact with
Abdurajak Abubakar JanjalaniAbdurajak Abubakar Janjalani was born on the Philippine island of Basilan to a Muslim-Christian family.Janjalani was most notably remembered as the chief founder and leader of Abu Sayyaf separatist organization until his death in 1998 by Filipino police. Upon his death his brother, Khadaffy...
, one of the founders of the Abu Sayyaf. Sabaya was accused of several hostage kidnappings. In
BasilanBasilan is an island province of the Philippines most of which is located within the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao , except its capital, Isabela City, which is administered as part of the Zamboanga Peninsula Region...
, he was accused of being involved in 13 kidnappings incidents, including that of a Roman Catholic priest, schoolchildren and teachers. In reaction, the Philippine government offered a 5,000,000
pesoThe peso is the currency of the Philippines. It is subdivided into 100 centavos or sentimo . Before 1967, the language used on the banknotes and coins was English and so "peso" was the name used...
reward for his capture.
On June 21, 2002, after being tracked by United States and Philippine forces, Sabaya was confronted by a Special Warfare Group team of the
Philippine NavyThe Philippine Navy is the naval arm of the Armed Forces of the Philippines . Its official name in Filipino is Hukbong Dagat ng Pilipinas ....
. After attempting to evade capture, Sabaya was shot and killed at sea. Four other soldiers of the Abu Sayyaf survived and were arrested during the incident.