German court wants Robot extradited

BERLIN — A German court wants the Philippines to extradite the recently captured head of a militant Islamic group, which kidnapped 21 mainly European hostages in 2000 and held them for several months, Der Spiegel magazine reported Tuesday on its website.

The court in Goettingen wants to try Abu Sayyaf leader Ghalib Andang for his role in kidnapping a local family, part of the group of hostages kept on Jolo island in Sulu.

Officials have called on the German foreign ministry to ask the Philippines to extradite Andang, better known under his alias, Commander Robot.

Meanwhile, acting Foreign Affairs Secretary Franklin Ebdalin said yesterday that he has not received any official request from Germany regarding the extradition of Andang.

Ebdalin stressed that there is no extradition treaty between the Philippines and Germany so the Manila is under "no obligation to extradite him (Andang)."

Andang was arrested by Army troops on Dec. 8 in a major blow to the group, effectively neutralizing Abu Sayyaf which has carried out numerous kidnappings and deadly bombings against Christian and foreign targets in the overwhelmingly Catholic country in the last decade.

The group is also suspected of killing two US hostages.

The foreign ministry in Berlin could not confirm the information to AFP, saying it should contact the court, which in turn was unreachable.

Der Spiegel said the court and the ministry were not sure that the extradition request would be successful as no extradition treaty exists between Berlin and Manila.

Ebdalin noted that the only extradition treaty the Philippines has is with the United States and that the actual transfer of individuals is unusual.

A number of cases have been filed against Andang in Germany in relation to the kidnapping by the Abu Sayyaf group of three Germans — the Wallert family — in Sipadan.

Former government negotiator Roberto Aventajado said in his book, "140 Days of Terror: In the Clutches of the Abu Sayyaf," that Germany and Libya paid ransom of $1 million for each of the 21 hostages of the Abu Sayyaf.

The German embassy in Manila could not be reached for comment.

The late foreign affairs secretary Blas Ople had said that the Philippines will not entertain any requests by foreign governments for custody of Andang.

Andang is currently being interrogated by the Philippine authorities and will stand trial here for kidnapping and killing foreign hostages.

Ople said the government is willing to provide intelligence information to the interested countries.

An unconfirmed report earlier this week stated that Malaysia wants to send over a team of interrogators to the Philippines to gather information from Andang.

In a another development, doctors at the V. Luna Medical Center where Andang has been confined said the bandit’s condition has stabilized following the amputation of his left leg due to injuries sustained during his capture.

Col. Andrian Kidlat, Robot’s chief attending physician, said the kidneys of his patient also continued to improve while Robot’s wounded right leg is still in a cast and under observation.

Abu Sayyaf claimed at its foundation in the early 1990s that it was fighting for an Islamic state but analysts said the group — which is also suspected of ties with Osama bin Laden’s al-Qaeda — had become a loosely organized band of criminals. — AFP, Marvin Sy, Jaime Laude