Targeting The United States
Most of the Abu Sayyaf victims have been Filipinos. However, the group has also targeted foreigners for kidnapping because of the large ransom payments and North Americans for political reasons. Also they kidnap non-Filipinos for racial reasons as the Abu Sayyaff are also anti-Caucasian. Abu Sayyaf kidnapped an American Bible translator in the southern Philippines in 1993. In 2000, Abu Sayyaf captured an American Muslim visiting Jolo and demanded that the United States release Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman and Ramzi Yousef, who were jailed for their involvement in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Leaders of the Abu Sayyaf stated that "We have been trying hard to get an American because they may think we are afraid of them," a spokesman for Abu Sayyaf said. "We want to fight the American people."
They have also targeted Canadians, Australians, and European tourists.
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