An American national was reportedly shot in the leg by a group of gunmen and kidnapped in the Philippines, prompting law enforcement officials to launch a search for the American, who was taken away by the unidentified suspects in a speed boat.
The Associated Press reported that the alleged kidnapping incident took place last Thursday night in Sibuco, which is a coastal town located in the southern Philippine province of Zamboanga del Norte. Police officials have identified the U.S. national as 26-year-old Elliot Onil Eastman, who is from Vermont.
“We confirm that there was a report of the alleged abduction of an American national,” regional police officials said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press. “We want to assure the public, particularly the community of Sibuco, that we are doing everything in our power to secure the safe recovery of the victim.”
According to two police reports obtained by The Associated Press, Abdulmali Hamsiran Jala, a resident of Sibuco, told local law enforcement officials that four men in black clothes, who introduced themselves to Eastman as police officers and were armed with M16 rifles, abducted the U.S. national.
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The anonymous resident told police officials that Eastman attempted to escape from the four men; however, one of the men shot him in the leg and dragged him onto a speedboat. The resident added that the group of men appeared to be heading toward the Philippine provinces of Basilan or Sulu.
The police reports obtained by The Associated Press indicate that police officials attempted to chase down the group of men but were unsuccessful at locating either the suspects or Eastman.
In a statement to Fox News on Monday, the Federal Bureau of Investigation confirmed that the agency is aware of the alleged kidnapping incident in the Philippines and said that it was coordinating with the U.S. State Department and other federal agencies.
According to The New York Post, Eastman has lived in the Philippines since May with his wife Karisha Jala Eastman, whom he met last year while visiting the country. The outlet noted that Elliot Onil Eastman returned to the United States for a short time after marrying his wife before permanently moving to the Philippines earlier this year.
“Based on the initial profile given to us, he got married to a local in the area,” Lieutenant-Colonel Helen Galvez, a police spokesperson, told Agence France-Presse. “He has been there for about five months.”
