Why did United States authorities "freeze the assets" of Radulan Sahiron on November 30, 2005,1 and why were they and the Philippine authorities still on the lookout for him (while offering a five--million peso reward for his capture) as late as 2010 (when apparently, he'd be almost an octogenarian) while this Associated Press article from 1994, says---quoting Lt. Gen. Orlando Soriano, chief of the Southern Command---that Radulan Sahiron was killed by AFP forces during an assault on the group's hideout on Monday, June 6, 1994?
Soriano even seems to know the relatives, or Sahiron "clan," so it isn't likely the Lt. General would mistake this identity with some other old, one-armed guy.
The detail about Janjalani himself being held in an internecine, or a tit-for-tat abduction scenario by Sahiron's relatives who were seeking a financial benefit in the altered landscape following Radulan's death, is so internally consistent, plausible and self-reinforcing a construction that it makes every narrative report of the Sipadan, Dos Palmas, and Basilan-school hostage-takings seem as artificial and silly as would The Three Stooges look acting in Kabuki drama. And this alibi also absolves Janjalani from participation in such a horrific, senseless crime.
While the "Global Jihad" web page is not necessarily trustworthy in its information, the current afp.mil.ph page is a pretty solid citation.
1Nov. 30, 2005, AP, U.S. Treasury Department moves to freeze assets of 3 Filipino members of Abu Sayyaf group, by Foster Klug,
June 8, 1994, AP / The Buffalo News, Rebels Take Hostages, Kill 15 in Philippines,
Wednesday
Followers of a renegade Muslim extremist waylaid a civilian convoy today, seized about 50 hostages and killed at least 15, officials said.
A wounded survivor said in a radio interview that the four gunmen killed male hostages because they were a burden as the rebels fled pursuing troops. He said he did not know what had happened to five women and a Catholic priest who were separated from the other hostages.
The attack occurred on the island of Basilan, which has no telephones.
Details were confused because different government agencies were reporting by voice radio to the Southern Command headquarters in nearby Zamboanga.
Jundam Abdula, Basilan's police chief, said armed followers of Abubakar Janjalani, leader of the Abu Sayyaf group, had stopped a convoy of a bus and two other vehicles seven miles from the town of Isabela.
Police said the gunmen seized about 50 of the 90 people in the convoy, then released all but 22.
In a radio dispatch from Basilan, Christopher Puno, spokesman for the 2nd Marine Brigade, reported that 16 hostages had been killed.
The survivor, Demetrio Abellana, conductor of one of the vehicles, did not say how many hostages were slain.
"They separated us from the women. Then we were hogtied, and then they sprayed us with automatic gunfire," said Abellana, who was hit in the leg. "I pretended to be dead."
First reports had identified the 22 hostages as Christian women teachers and a priest.
The kidnapped priest was identified as the Rev. Cirilo Nacorda. He had been assigned to a parish on Basilan as the successor to a Spanish priest, the Rev. Bernardo Blanco, who was kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf group in March 1993 but escaped two months later.
Abdula said the gunmen also were responsible for the August 1992 kidnapping of Gerald Fraszczack, a Franciscan missionary from Chicago. Fraszczack was released several months later.
Kidnappings are common in Muslim areas of the southern Philippines, since those responsible generally escape prosecution because of links to influential clans.
Troops launched a major operation last week to destroy the fundamentalist Abu Sayyaf group, responsible for many bombings and kidnappings in the south.
Fighting has centered on the island of Jolo, about 100 miles southwest of Zamboanga. Basilan is between Zamboanga and Jolo.
The kidnapping followed reports that Janjalani has been taken captive by relatives of a slain deputy seeking to collect a reward.
Lt. Gen. Orlando Soriano, chief of the Southern Command, said Janjalani was being held hostage in a village on Jolo by relatives of Radulan Sahiron, who was killed Monday during an assault on the group's hideout.
Here's a more complete, time-stamped version of the article from the official AP archives, in which Lt. Gen. Soriano says he's already in negotiations with Radulan Sahiron's family for the arrest of Janjalani---adding, he would give Sahiron's survivors the sizable reward. The fact that Janjalani wasn't arrested, and that he and the Abu Sayyaf group continued to operate in such a reprehensible, illogical and ideologically counter-productive fashion (the storming of Ipil was less than a year in the future) means they were government sanctioned and approved. A vast body of additional evidence supports this conclusion.
Jun. 8, 1994, AP News Archive, Followers of Besieged Muslim Extremist Kill 16 Hostages, 6:56 AM ET
ZAMBOANGA, PHILIPPINES ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AP) _ Followers of a renegade Muslim extremist waylaid a civilian convoy today, seized about 50 hostages and killed at least 16, officials said.
A wounded survivor said in a radio interview that the four gunmen killed male hostages because they were a burden as the rebels fled pursuing troops. He said he did not know what had happened to five women and a Roman Catholic priest who were separated from the other hostages.
The attack occurred on the island of Basilan, which has no telephones. Details were confused because different government agencies were reporting by voice radio to the Southern Command headquarters in nearby Zamboanga.
Basilan police chief Jundam Abdula said armed followers of Abubakar Janjalani, leader of the Abu Sayyaf group, stopped a convoy of one bus and two jeeps 7 miles from the town of Isabela on Basilan.
About 90 people were believed in the convoy. Police said the gunmen seized about 50 passengers and drivers, but released all but 22.
In a radio dispatch from Basilan, Christopher Puno, spokesman for the 2nd Marine Brigade, reported that 16 hostages had been killed.
The survivor, passenger jeep conductor Demetrio Abellana, did not say how many hostages were slain.
''They separated us from the women. Then we were hogtied and then they sprayed us with automatic gun fire,'' said Abellana, who was hit in the leg. ''I pretended to be dead.''
First reports had identified the 22 hostages as Christian women schoolteachers and a priest.
The kidnapped priest was identified as the Rev. Cirilo Nacorda. He had been assigned to a parish on Basilan as the successor to a Spanish priest, the Rev. Bernardo Blanco, who was kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf group in March 1993 but escaped two months later.
Abdula said the gunmen were also responsible for the August 1992 kidnapping of Franciscan missionary Gerald Fraszczack of Chicago.
Fraszczack was released several months later. Kidnappings are common in Muslim areas of the southern Philippines, in part because those responsible are rarely prosecuted due to their links to influential clans.
Troops launched a major operation last week to destroy the fundamentalist Abu Sayyaf group, responsible for many bombings and kidnappings in the south.
Fighting has centered on the island of Jolo, about 100 miles southwest of Zamboanga. Basilan is between Zamboanga and Jolo.
The kidnapping followed reports that Janjalani has been taken captive by relatives of a slain deputy seeking to collect a reward.
Lt. Gen. Orlando Soriano, chief of the Southern Command, said Janjalani was being held hostage in a village on Jolo by relatives of Radulan Sahiron, who was killed Monday during an assault on the group's hideout.
Soriano said Sahiron's relatives wanted the $56,000 reward offered for Janjalani. On Tuesday, Gov. Tupay Loong of Sulu province, which includes Jolo, said he would add another $7,400.
The military commander said he has started negotiations with relatives of Sahiron for Janjalani's arrest. He added that the government would give them the reward.
The shadowy Abu Sayyaf group surfaced in 1993. Janjalani, a former student in Libya, espouses a social ideology more religiously oriented than the larger and more secular Moro National Liberation Front.
The front, which operates on Jolo, has been waging its insurgency for 20 years but entered into new peace talks with the government last year.
It appeared the offensive against Abu Sayyaf was launched to remove the group as a potential rival to the front within the 6 million-strong Muslim community.
Jun. 8, 1994, AP News Archive, Followers of Besieged Muslim Extremist Kill 16 Hostages, 6:56 AM ET
ZAMBOANGA, PHILIPPINES ZAMBOANGA, Philippines (AP) _ Followers of a renegade Muslim extremist waylaid a civilian convoy today, seized about 50 hostages and killed at least 16, officials said.
A wounded survivor said in a radio interview that the four gunmen killed male hostages because they were a burden as the rebels fled pursuing troops. He said he did not know what had happened to five women and a Roman Catholic priest who were separated from the other hostages.
The attack occurred on the island of Basilan, which has no telephones. Details were confused because different government agencies were reporting by voice radio to the Southern Command headquarters in nearby Zamboanga.
Basilan police chief Jundam Abdula said armed followers of Abubakar Janjalani, leader of the Abu Sayyaf group, stopped a convoy of one bus and two jeeps 7 miles from the town of Isabela on Basilan.
About 90 people were believed in the convoy. Police said the gunmen seized about 50 passengers and drivers, but released all but 22.
In a radio dispatch from Basilan, Christopher Puno, spokesman for the 2nd Marine Brigade, reported that 16 hostages had been killed.
The survivor, passenger jeep conductor Demetrio Abellana, did not say how many hostages were slain.
''They separated us from the women. Then we were hogtied and then they sprayed us with automatic gun fire,'' said Abellana, who was hit in the leg. ''I pretended to be dead.''
First reports had identified the 22 hostages as Christian women schoolteachers and a priest.
The kidnapped priest was identified as the Rev. Cirilo Nacorda. He had been assigned to a parish on Basilan as the successor to a Spanish priest, the Rev. Bernardo Blanco, who was kidnapped by the Abu Sayyaf group in March 1993 but escaped two months later.
Abdula said the gunmen were also responsible for the August 1992 kidnapping of Franciscan missionary Gerald Fraszczack of Chicago.
Fraszczack was released several months later. Kidnappings are common in Muslim areas of the southern Philippines, in part because those responsible are rarely prosecuted due to their links to influential clans.
Troops launched a major operation last week to destroy the fundamentalist Abu Sayyaf group, responsible for many bombings and kidnappings in the south.
Fighting has centered on the island of Jolo, about 100 miles southwest of Zamboanga. Basilan is between Zamboanga and Jolo.
The kidnapping followed reports that Janjalani has been taken captive by relatives of a slain deputy seeking to collect a reward.
Lt. Gen. Orlando Soriano, chief of the Southern Command, said Janjalani was being held hostage in a village on Jolo by relatives of Radulan Sahiron, who was killed Monday during an assault on the group's hideout.
Soriano said Sahiron's relatives wanted the $56,000 reward offered for Janjalani. On Tuesday, Gov. Tupay Loong of Sulu province, which includes Jolo, said he would add another $7,400.
The military commander said he has started negotiations with relatives of Sahiron for Janjalani's arrest. He added that the government would give them the reward.
The shadowy Abu Sayyaf group surfaced in 1993. Janjalani, a former student in Libya, espouses a social ideology more religiously oriented than the larger and more secular Moro National Liberation Front.
The front, which operates on Jolo, has been waging its insurgency for 20 years but entered into new peace talks with the government last year.
It appeared the offensive against Abu Sayyaf was launched to remove the group as a potential rival to the front within the 6 million-strong Muslim community.
Radulan Sahiron was born in the mid 30s’. He was a veteran of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) from the early 70s’. then moved to the more militant 
Excellent timeline! Great job for informing us deeper.
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