EPA Images/Mark R. Cristino
Benigno Aquino III, the incumbent President of the Philippines, has claimed that a terrorist group has been plotting to kidnap Manny Pacquiao.Abu Sayyaf, an Islamist militant group which two years ago pledged allegiance to ISIS, have been fighting for an independent province in the south of the country since the early nineties. Despite their fundamentalist stance, they have been involved in criminal activities ranging from kidnap and murder to rape, child sexual assault, extortion and drug trafficking. According to the Associated Press, they are also accused of beheading Canadian John Ridsdel on Monday after their ransom demands went unmet.With the government seeking to end their insurgency Aquino has now moved to expose their latest activities, which include plans to assassinate him, set off bombs in Manila, and abduct Pacquiao, the country's best-known sportsman.Aquino said: "They allegedly hatched plots to kidnap Manny Pacquiao or one of his children, as well as my sister Kris or one of her children, with the plan to use them in bargaining for the release of their cohorts." The government currently holds a number of insurgents prisoner.Pacquiao won world titles in a record eight weight classes, from flyweight to junior middleweight, in a career that spanned three decades. Having announced his retirement from boxing earlier this month, he's now running for one of 12 senate seats in national elections on May 9.A popular figure in the Philippines, Pacquiao is significant both as an athlete and an increasingly influential politician. He has also attracted considerable negative press in recent months, however, after making a number of homophobic comments. As a result of these statements, sportswear giants Nike cancelled their sponsorship deal with Pacquiao.A spokesman for the former fighter told ESPN that he had not spoken to Pacquiao about the alleged plot.
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