Abu Sayyaf Leader Faces up to 25 Years in Prison After Pleading Guilty
Madhatta Haipe, founding member of Al-Harakat Al-Islamiyyah, locally known as the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), pled guilty before a U.S. federal court in Washington to four counts of hostage taking in relation to the kidnapping of 16 people, including four U.S. citizens, on December 27, 1995. Haipe, now 48, was charged by a federal grand jury in Washington, D.C. in 2000 and was extradited from the Philippines to face the charges against him in 2009.
Haipe confessed that he organized the kidnappings for ransom to raise funds for the group and instill public awareness of their existence. The victims were released after a ransom of one million pesos was paid. He was the ASG’s Secretary General and second-in-command at the time of the kidnapping.
As part of the plea agreement, Haipe may face up to 25 years in prison.
Founded in the early 1990s, the Abu Sayyaf Group was believed to be funded by the Al Qaeda-network of Osama Bin Laden to fight for an independent Islamic state in Mindanao. The group often resorts to kidnappings for ransom to raise more funds. It remains designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States.
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