Philippine trial first for rebel leaders

The Abu Sayyaf are deemed a terrorist group, and are being chased down

MANILA, Philippines -- Authorities in Manila say that if the Abu Sayyaf rebel leaders indicted by the United States are caught they will face trial first in the Philippines.

The United States Tuesday charged five members of the extremist group with kidnapping and murdering Americans and Filipinos in the Philippines last year. (Full story)

Both governments say the Abu Sayyaf is a terrorist group with ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda terror network.

The U.S. State Department designated the rebel group a terrorist organization in 1997 and Washington recently offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the capture of the five leaders.

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However, the Philippine government said Wednesday it had first priority on trying any captured leaders, despite the U.S. moves to indict the guerrillas.

The U.S. embassy in Manila told news agencies that Washington had not yet made demands for the handover of Abu Sayyaf leaders, and said Washington was supporting Manila's efforts to prosecute them.

None of the Abu Sayyaf leaders indicted in the United States and also wanted in the Philippines is in custody.

If the defendants were caught, taken to the United States to stand trial and convicted, they could face the death penalty on four of the five counts, U.S. Justice Department officials say.

Philippine trial

The men face similar charges in the Philippines and their trial in this Southeast nation "will take precedence" if they are captured, Philippine Justice Undersecretary Manuel Teehankee told The Associated Press.

The Philippines and the United States are working together to apprehend the Abu Sayyaf leaders as part of the global hunt for suspected terrorists, he added.

In the first expansion of the U.S.-led war on terrorism outside Afghanistan, 1,000 U.S. soldiers are in the southern Philippines training Filipinos to fight the guerrillas. While the exercise was due to end on July 31, more training is scheduled for October.

For years the rebels have waged a militant campaign in the name of creating a separate Islamic state in the mainly Christian Philippines. In the process they have become notorious for a series of kidnappings.

U.S. federal charges include the murders of American missionary Martin Burnham and Filipina nurse Ediborah Yap, killed during a gun battle between their captors and Philippine troops in June.

Burnham's wife, Gracia, was wounded but survived the clash.

The Burnhams were held for more than a year, and another American kidnapped with their group, Guillermo Sobero, was beheaded in June 2001.

On the run

The federal indictments identified the five as Abu Sayyaf commanders Jainal Antel Sali Jr. and Hamsiraji Marusi Sali; the group's spiritual leader, Khadafi Abubakar Janjalani; deputy commander Isnilon Totoni Hapilon; and Abu Sayyaf spokesman Aldam Tilao.

The Philippines has said it believes that Tilao, also known as Abu Sabaya, was killed in a gunbattle at sea last month, even though his body has not been found.

The four others are targets of a massive U.S.-backed military manhunt.

According to the indictment, from August 2000 to early June 2002, the men knowingly and intentionally conspired to seize, detain, threaten to kill and injure victims, including four U.S. nationals.

The charges also cover the August 2000 kidnapping of Jeffrey Schilling, an American living in the southern Philippines who was held captive for seven months before escaping in April 2001. His kidnappers had demanded a $10 million ransom and the release of U.S. prisoners.

Two other suspected Abu Sayyaf agents were arrested Sunday and Monday in connection with bomb attacks that killed 15 people in the southern Philippines in April.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Wednesday urged more arrests and said that following the intensification of the military operation the Abu Sayyaf was on the run.

The Associated Press & Reuters contributed to this report.