Philippine police arrest suspects in the kidnapping of an American

Police in the Philippines said Wednesday that they had arrested three suspects in the kidnapping of an American and that they believe the victim is still alive.

MANILA, Philippines — Police in the Philippines said Wednesday that they had arrested three suspects in the kidnapping of an American in the country’s south and that they believe the victim, who was shot in the leg during the abduction, is still alive.

Two of the suspects in the Oct. 17 kidnapping of Elliot Onil Eastman, 26, in Sibuco town in Zamboanga del Norte province surrendered separately and pointed to a third suspect, who was arrested in Sibuco, police officials said.

Three other suspects, who may be holding Eastman, have been identified, police said, adding that more people could be involved. Criminal complaints of abduction were filed against the six suspects on Tuesday.

“We believe he is alive, so our operations are ongoing,” regional police spokesperson Lt. Col. Helen Galvez told The Associated Press by telephone. “Our search won’t stop until we locate him.”

A house-to-house search was underway in one unspecified area, Galvez said without elaborating. She added that the suspects belonged to a criminal group and not to any of the armed Muslim rebel groups, which have been blamed for a spate of ransom kidnappings in the southern Philippines over decades.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/philippine-police-arrest-suspects-kidnapping-american-rcna178169

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