Abu Sayyaf hostage succumbs to gunshot wounds

KOTA KINABALU - The Malaysian kidnap victim, who escaped from his Abu Sayyaf kidnappers in a volley of gunfire five days ago, died at a private hospital in Zamboanga City, southern Philippines.

Doctors removed the life support from Jari Abdullah, 34, from Kampung Sim in Sandakan, at 1.30pm Tuesday (April 9), with the consent of his mother Zuana Laudioto, who arrived at his bedside late Monday (April 8).

Philippine sources said that Jari's mother had requested that no post-mortem be done, as he had "suffered enough".

The mother had also requested Malaysian officials to help send Jari's body back to Sandakan for burial.

The mother and Jari's younger brother Arianto Mohd Sufri were flown in to Zamboanga City by Wisma Putra, with consultation of the Sabah government.

Initially, Jari's wife Nadin Junianti Najiri and mother were supposed to fly in together. However, it could not be ascertained why Nadin, a mother of two, did not follow.

Jari suffered gunshot wounds to his head, chest and groin as he escaped from his kidnappers during gunfight with Philippines marines at Simusa Island in Sulu on Thursday (April 4).

Philippine troops pursuing the gunmen managed to rescue him and took him to a hospital in Jolo before he was airlifted to Zamboanga City, where he remained critical and never regained consciousness.

Jari and two other Indonesians were abducted from their Sandakan-based fishing trawler, while fishing in the Pegasus Reef area in Kinabatangan waters close to the Tawi Tawi island chain of southern Philippines on Dec 5.

On Friday (April 5), a day after Jari's escape, another victim Indonesian, Heri Ardiansyah, 45, was rescued from the sea waters near Simusa Island, but a third hostage, Hariadin, 19, drowned and his body was recovered by Philippine marines pursuing the Abu Sayyaf gunmen.

The Indonesian duo tried to swim out of the Simusa Island, but Hariadin could not make it amid an all-out Philippine assault against the militants, who surrounded the mangrove in Simusa Island close to their stronghold in Jolo Island.

Jari is the third Malaysian hostage held in Jolo to die. Tung Wee Wei from Negri Sembilan died of sickness in 2013 and the Abu Sayyaf beheaded Bernard Then from Sarawak in 2015.